Japan's distinctive flip phones, known as gara-kei, are finally going extinct. These clamshell devices with physical keyboards and quirky features like One-Seg TV and infrared contact sharing survived far longer in Japan than in the US, thanks to a unique ecosystem of cheap contracts and embedded payment chips. But the numbers now show a decisive shift: a Docomo survey found smartphone ownership jumped from 90% of mobile users in 2021 to 98% by 2025, while feature phone shipments dropped by more than a quarter in the first half of fiscal 2025.
The main driver is the sunsetting of 3G networks. NTT Docomo ended its remaining 3G data service in March, following au in 2022 and SoftBank in 2024. That move affects an estimated half a million people and over 400 phone models, and also disables some car navigation systems and vending machines. Japan's aging population is another factor: with 29% of the population aged 65 or older in 2024, the government and carriers are pushing seniors toward smartphones, including Tokyo handing out 3,000 devices to older residents in 2021.
While some Gen Z users have embraced flip phones for digital detox, the gara-kei's practical role in daily life is disappearing. Carriers like Docomo now see the migration as an opportunity, offering in-store smartphone classes to ease the transition. The article notes that these lessons may come with unintended consequences, such as new users getting hooked on social media and doomscrolling. For a generation that grew up clicking on feature phones, the end of the gara-kei marks a quiet but definitive cultural shift in Japan's mobile landscape.