Japan Plug Type and Voltage: Will Your Charger Work? (By Country)

Japan · plugs, voltage and adapters · by home country · 2026

By Nobu · sources checked 19 October 2026 · a researched guide · Sources at the end

Japan runs on 100 V: 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west, including Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka (JNTO). Japan uses Type A plugs, which have two flat parallel pins, and Type B, which adds a round earth pin (IEC). A two-slot socket has no hole for a Type B earth pin; a Type A plug with two equal-width pins fits, but a wider neutral pin may not. UK, Australian, Singapore, Hong Kong and European plugs need an adapter. The US uses the same types, but the IEC says Japanese plugs can be used in the US “but often not the other way around”, because the American neutral pin is wider. An adapter does not change the voltage: check your charger’s INPUT line, then find your country below.

Sources: JNTO for voltage, frequency and shops; the IEC’s World Plugs guide for plug types, using the Internet Archive copy of 16 August 2026 because the IEC retired the guide (checked 19 October 2026); Apple, Dyson and Kashimura for chargers, dryers, adapters and transformers.

Japan’s sockets, voltage and frequency

JNTO gives one voltage for the whole country: 100 volts AC, at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy puts the boundary around the Fuji River in Shizuoka and Itoigawa in Niigata. A label that reads “50/60Hz” covers both halves.

The IEC lists two plug types for Japan. Type A has two flat parallel pins and no earth. Type B has the same two pins plus a longer round earth pin.

Will your plug fit? By home country

Plug shape only; voltage is the next section. Data: IEC World Plugs, archived 16 August 2026, checked 19 October 2026.

United States, Canada and Taiwan

The IEC says that on the American plug the neutral pin is wider than the live pin, while on the Japanese plug both pins are the same size, so “Japanese plugs can be used in the US but often not the other way around.” If a wider pin or an earth pin stops the plug going in, do not force it. Type A is an ungrounded plug type (IEC), and a two-slot socket has no earth hole, so if your device has an earth pin, check its manual on earthing before you use any adapter.

UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia

The IEC lists the Type G plug, three rectangular blades with a fuse inside, for the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It does not fit a Japanese socket, so you need an adapter that ends in Japan’s Type A pins. If the appliance needs its earth blade connected, a two-pin socket cannot do that; check its manual.

Australia and New Zealand

Type I has two flat pins set in a V, usually with an earth pin. They do not match Japan’s parallel slots, so you need an adapter.

Germany, France, South Korea, Indonesia and India

Round-pin plugs need an adapter: the IEC lists C and F for Germany, C and E for France, C and F for South Korea and Indonesia, and C, D and M for India. All list 220–230 V (Indonesia also 110 V), so do the voltage check below.

If you need an adapter, match the pin drawings on its pack with your own plug. Then check your appliance’s voltage, wattage and earth needs against the adapter’s rating. The Kashimura NTI-577 below is rated 13 A at 125 V (13 A is about 1,300 W at Japan’s 100 V); it has an earth terminal but comes without an earth wire, and it does not change the voltage (Amazon Japan listing). The terminal does not provide an earth connection until it is wired as the appliance manual requires. Use an appliance that needs earthing only if you can make that connection as its manual says; otherwise do not use it.

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Read the label: adapter only, or a transformer?

A plug adapter changes the shape only; your device still gets 100 V. Look for the small print after INPUT on the charger or power brick:

Hair dryers, straighteners and Dyson

For heat tools, the label must list 100 V and the local frequency (50 or 60 Hz, or 50/60 Hz); its wattage must be within the adapter’s rating; and if the tool needs earthing, use it only where the earth connection can be made as its manual says. An adapter’s earth terminal does nothing unless it is connected; if you cannot make the connection, do not use the tool. A tool labelled 220–240 V only needs a transformer sized as above, if the maker allows one, or swap it for a 100 V-rated tool.

Dyson’s answer depends on the model. A 2019 US guide for the Dyson Supersonic (model HD01 on its cover; filed under the Professional Edition on dyson.com) says “Do not operate with a voltage converter” and “This machine is not suitable for use outside the United States of America.” Check the guide for your exact model. The Supersonic Travel is a separate model; Dyson’s Australian and Singapore pages say it “automatically adapts to the voltage wherever you are, from 100–240V”, that a travel plug adaptor may be needed, and recommend an adapter rated to 1,300 W across 100–240 V.

Buying an adapter or a Japanese charger in Japan

JNTO says conversion plugs and transformers are easy to find in cities: in Akihabara (Tokyo), Nipponbashi (Osaka), Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera.

The Kashimura NTI-577 linked above is the inbound kind. Its Amazon Japan listing says it converts B, BF, B3, C, O, O2 and SE plugs (Japanese letters) to Japan’s A type, except some South African (B3L) and Brazilian (CB) plugs; and has an earth terminal for three-pin plugs.

A Japanese USB charger needs no adapter. If you order one online, check whether your hotel accepts parcels; see how Amazon Japan hotel and konbini delivery works. The charger below lists “AC100V–240V 50/60Hz” input and three USB ports (two USB-C, one USB-A). The power strip is for Type A plugs: its listing gives 1,400 W in total, says it is safe on 100–240 V and has no voltage conversion.

Charging on trains and in town

JNTO says new shinkansen models have outlets next to the window seats (ask for one when you buy the ticket), and some hamburger chains and family restaurants have outlets. See getting around Japan for trains, and cash or card in Japan and IC cards such as Suica for paying at the shop.

Questions people ask

Before you go

Trip planning: from the USA, from Singapore, and Japan tips for 2026.