As the world’s need for privacy becomes more evident with each passing day, the online security industry keeps working to come up with solutions to the most obvious threats associated with the Internet. Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are top allies to dodge hackers and other external agents that may represent a hazard for the user. In this article, we will let you know which are the best VPNs for Japan.
Japan: no censorship, but heavy penalties for copyright infringement
Japan is a unique place. It is full of developed, modern cities with forward-thinking people. The Japanese are disciplined, creative, and astonishingly smart. The society, starting with the most influential authorities, has a deep respect for other people’s belongings and properties.
That is why there is virtually no Internet censorship whatsoever. The authorities have no worries regarding the content their people see or generate while they are online as long as it doesn’t represent an obvious danger to the society.
However, there are harsh penalties for copyright infringement cases. In other nations, streaming or torrenting is seen as usual, but in Japan, you have to manage yourself with extreme caution because infringements are considered criminal offenses.
Now, to know whether a user has infringed a copyright law or not, the Japanese government has to implement surveillance. The 2012 Computer Network Monitoring Law states that authorities are allowed to see everything that people do or share online, which is very inconvenient for streamers and torrenters.
The prohibitions have forced the Japanese to implement traffic encryption tools and apps to bypass government surveillance, and the most efficient resources available for that end are Virtual Private Networks.
VPN technology: What is it?
VPNs are apps that can hide the user’s shared content online, as well as its IP address. The latter serves as the device’s online identity, while the former can bring you trouble if you are doing banned activities such as foreign streaming and torrenting. Hiding them both can provide the freedom you are looking for.
Identifying the best VPNs for Japan is often a tough task, as there are some things you should be prioritizing. For starters, you need reliable brands with top-end encryption, as leaving traces of your activity or identity can bring severe consequences. Secondly, you need a fast VPN, as the technology can slow down your Internet connection by approximately 10%. However, a reliable app with high speeds will make this a non-issue.
And third, the ideal scenario involves hiring a VPN with a broad server network. The more countries you can connect to, the more foreign content you can unblock and enjoy in Japanese soil.
Every network, online channel, or streaming platform you access can recognize where you are entering from. They do it because they read your IP number, and it has all the location information they need to grant or deny access. Numerous sites are destined to be watched only by local people, and that is why they are not available in other places.
However, with a VPN app, you can unblock sites and streaming platforms, as well as torrenting pages, from anywhere. Virtual Private Networks not only hide your IP, but they can also provide a temporary one for you from the nation you select.
Enjoy the best of Japanese TV
You may encounter a different scenario: imagine that you are outside of Japan, and you dearly miss its TV shows, anime content, sports programs and live games, and other multimedia productions.
Because of the geo-blocking measures that we already explained, watching Japanese streaming networks from another country can be a hassle, as the content is most likely blocked.
Japan has several online channels available:
- Fuji TV
- TV Tokyo
- NHK World (English)
- TV Asahi – ANN
- JR Aizu – Wakamatsu Station Webcam
- QVC Japan
- NNN News Real-time
- Tomioka Station Webcam
- WOWOW – WOWOW Prime
- FNN (Fuji News Network)
- NTV – News24
- RCC TV
- Shonan Beach FM Webcam
- Daiwa TV
- Oh! Sama TV
- Seebit TV
- TBS – News I
- JAL TV
- NC Kyo
- SOLiVE24
- NHK World Radio Japan
- Sankakuyama Hosokyoku
- Channel J
- Nishiguchi Fukushima Station Webcam
- Nikkei
You can safely stream content in those networks from Japan or any other country in the world with a VPN. Also, you can have access to the most extensive catalog of Japanese games wherever you are.
Which are the best VPNs for Japan?
| Pick a VPN! | VPN | Price for 1 month sub | Site Rating | Buy Now |
| Best VPN |  | $5 a month (code "best10VPN") | 9.9 |  |
| Good VPN |  | $9 a month | 8.9 | |
| Decent VPN |  | $6.95 a month | 8.8 | |
The market is populated by lots of useful VPN apps. However, not every one of them can offer the reliability, high speeds, server network and no logging policy that these three can provide:
TorGuard: It is a well-known online security brand known for providing solutions on several fronts: it has a privacy bundle as well as anonymous email and proxy, not to mention its excellent VPN service. It has more than 3,000 servers in 55 nations, one of them being Japan, and is very good at all activities performed on the web: streaming, torrenting, gaming, and regular browsing.
TorGuard puts in practice a strict no logging policy, which is very convenient for users in Japan looking to protect their traffic and online identity from the claws of governmental surveillance. The company also provides DNS leak protection, AES 256-bit encryption, a live chat feature, multi-protocol availability, and five simultaneous devices, all for $10 per month.
IPVanish: If you want to use another IP address different than yours, you can hire IPVanish and enjoy one of the 10,000 that the company has available. You can successfully hide your identity and get a new one in Japan with this American company, which is recommended for advanced VPN users that want several configuration options.
IPVanish is reliable, fast, and affordable, albeit not precisely cheap: it costs $9.99 per month, but you can enjoy excellent speeds, 24/7 support, unlimited bandwidth, five simultaneous connections, a no logs policy, a user-friendly interface, top-notch encryption, OpenVPN, and deep packet Inspection protection.
PIA: Private Internet Access, as the full name indicates, is one of the best VPNs for Japan because it provides numerous features present on the top two options (Wi-Fi protection, 256-bit encryption, multi-protocol availability, and multi-device connections, just to name a few, at a fraction of the price. The monthly service costs $6.95, but the average per 30 days can go down to $2.91 if you sign up for the 2-year plan.
In conclusion, the Japanese government doesn’t censor the Internet, but it does apply harsh penalties to those who infringe copyright laws. To avoid any unwanted scenarios and gain the ability to unblock international content, hiring one of the best VPN for Japan is a fantastic idea.
