As in many other countries, Apple's iPhone 3G attracted substantial coverage in the media before and during its introduction in Japan on July 11, 2008. Offered by Softbank Mobile in Japan, sales of the iPhone 3G started fast but have since dramatically slowed. Nevertheless, the impact of Apple's iPhone in shaking up the existing order of the Japanese wireless sector, and particularly the relationship between the wireless carriers and the handset makers, has been substantial.

This Portelligent Tech Perspective reviews the reasons why Softbank was able to beat NTT DoCoMo in securing from Apple its position as the first carrier to sell the iPhone in Japan, provides speculative data on the level of sales of the 3G iPhone during its first two months in the Japanese market, analyzes why Apple has had an impact on the Japanese cellular communications industry that goes well beyond what would be expected given the sales of the iPhone 3G, and summarizes the factors that have prevented the iPhone 3G from securing a larger share of the Japanese market to date.