Call signs in Japan

Call signs in Japan are unique identifiers for telecommunications and broadcasting.

The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Japan the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:[1] While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; Japan is located in ITU Region 3.

[6] The IARU cites a year 2000 count of licensed ham operators at 1,296,059, out of a total population of 126,925,843.

[9] Amateur radio call signs are assigned based on the area of residence, with the country divided into 10 areas as follows (listed from Northeast to Southwest):[10] Outlying regions use a subset of the allocated prefixes:[11] Most call signs are of the "2x3" format (2 letters, a digit, and 3 letters).

[12] Radio and television stations in Japan all use callsigns starting with "JO", followed by two letters and an appropriate suffix.