Rakuten is a familiar brand in Japan
Rakuten is not a small service for point enthusiasts only. Its official site says Rakuten Group operates more than 70 businesses, spanning e-commerce, finance, payments, and telecommunications.
For foreign residents, that matters because you can encounter Rakuten in online shopping, credit cards, banking, securities, payments, and mobile service.
Rakuten Mobile: Unlimited data ¥3,278/mo or under 3GB ¥1,078/mo (tax incl.).
Rakuten Mobile passed 10 million subscribers
Rakuten Mobile announced that it reached 10 million subscribers on December 25, 2025. That is a meaningful milestone for a mobile carrier that launched full MNO service in 2020.
Subscriber count does not automatically mean it fits everyone, but it shows Rakuten Mobile is no longer a tiny or unknown option in Japan's phone market.
What it means for foreign residents
A larger service is easier to research, review, and compare. The problem is that much of the useful information is still in Japanese.
Think of Rakuten as a system: mobile service to cut fixed costs, card and shopping to earn points, then banking or investing only if you need them.
How to use this guide in real life
Read "How popular is Rakuten in Japan?" as a practical checklist, not as advertising. Foreign residents in Japan differ by visa status, Japanese ability, income, address history, phone usage, and spending habits, so the same service can be excellent for one person and only average for another.
Start by connecting the article to one concrete goal. If your goal is lowering fixed costs, focus first on mobile bills, recurring payments, and services you already pay for every month. If your goal is earning points, check where you actually shop before adding another account or card.
Before taking action, write down three numbers: what you pay now, what the new option may cost, and what conditions are required to receive points or discounts. This simple comparison prevents you from choosing only because a campaign looks large on the surface.
When using Rakuten services, keep one Rakuten ID as your main account whenever possible. Multiple accounts can split points, campaign entries, purchase history, and service conditions, which makes the ecosystem harder to manage and can reduce the benefits you receive.
What to check before you decide
Check your documents first. Your name, birth date, address, identity document, residence card, bank information, and payment method should be consistent. Many foreign residents are not rejected because they are ineligible; they run into trouble because details do not match across systems.
Confirm the latest official conditions before applying. Prices, point campaigns, entry requirements, and eligibility rules can change. Treat this article as an explanation of how to think, then verify the exact current terms on the provider's official page.
Avoid signing up for many services at once before you understand how they connect. A safer order is to begin with one clearly useful service, use it for a few weeks, then add card payments, banking, QR payment, or investing only if those steps fit your real life.
For the topic "A simple explanation of Rakuten's scale, Rakuten Mobile's subscriber milestone, and what that means for foreign residents.", the practical conclusion is simple: a benefit matters only when it lowers real costs or makes your money easier to manage. If a point program pushes you to overspend, buy things you do not need, or lose track of deadlines, it is no longer otoku.