Best VPNs for Japan in 2025
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Are you an anime fan and want to enjoy unlimited access to the best shows, or are simply traveling in Japan and want to protect your personal data when using a public Wi-Fi? Then getting a good and reliable VPN for Japan is in your best interest.
Not only will a Japan VPN provide access to the Japanese Netflix library, which contains exclusive anime titles, but it will also grant you unparalleled security while browsing. For example, a VPN can hide your identity and location from general web tracking and while using an unreliable public Wi-Fi, which is particularly handy when staying at a hotel in Japan.
But not all VPNs are equal. Some don’t have a no-logs policy, making your VPN usage less private. Others don’t work as well in Japan or with streaming services. So, it’s important to research your chosen VPNs to determine the best ones in terms of security, privacy, and accessibility in Japan. To save you time and effort researching dozens of providers, we selected the best VPNs for Japan in 2025. All you need to do is choose one.
Top 5 best VPNs for Japan
- NordVPN – the best and most secure VPN for Japan
- Surfshark – affordable and fast VPN with Japanese servers
- PureVPN – feature-rich Japan VPN option
- ExpressVPN – solid VPN option for streaming Netflix Japan
- CyberGhost – reliable and secure Japan VPN
What to look for in a VPN for Japan
Whether you’re traveling to Japan and want to safely browse the web or simply want to access Japanese streaming libraries, a VPN is a must. But which is the best VPN right now for you? Based on our research of what people look for the most when searching for a VPN for Japan, we listed the most important criteria to watch out for:
- Japanese servers. If you want to access Japanese content libraries, it’s important that a VPN has servers in Japan. More than one server also ensures that your true location won’t be detected by the streaming service.
- Overall server count. An abundance of servers and locations ensures that everyone would be able to access their home country’s content even while being in Japan. This is particularly handy for those who want to keep up with their favorite shows even while traveling.
- Good speed. Good connection speed is crucial both for streaming and casual browsing. Since VPNs naturally slow down your connection speed, you want to choose one that has the fastest protocols available. For example, NordVPN offers NordLynx, and other providers have WireGuard.
- Good unblocking capabilities. Unblocking content isn’t easy. All the top sites like Netflix Japan, Amazon Prime Video, and Rakuten TV are always improving their geo-blocking technology. That’s why you need a VPN that consistently stays one step ahead. Services like NordVPN have an excellent unblocking capabilities.
The best VPNs for Japan - our detailed list:
For optimum VPN use in Japan, you’ll need to look out for a selection of key features, such as Japanese server, security measures, and extra features. Let’s explore our top-rated VPNs in detail to see how they match up.
1. NordVPN – overall best VPN for Japan
| Based in: | Panama |
| Servers/countries: | 7100+ servers in 118 countries |
| Servers in Japan: | 130+ |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get 72% OFF NordVPN 🔥 |
NordVPN is the best VPN for Japan and overall. It has an excellent track record in unblocking streaming platforms, has over a hundred servers in Japan, offers a number of useful security and privacy features, and is pretty affordable.
Streaming: we tested NordVPN with unblocking Japanese streaming libraries and services. And we were not at all surprised to find out that NordVPN provided unlimited access to Japanese Netflix, Hulu, and a number of other streaming services, including Tokyo TV. There were virtually no issues with video quality and buffering either.
In general, NordVPN works very well with all major streaming platforms. So you’ll be able to access other foreign content libraries with no issue or watch your country’s content while in Japan.
Apps and servers: NordVPN has applications available for all major operating systems, both desktop and mobile, as well as several other devices. You can hook up NordVPN to your Smart TV or gaming console, too. As for servers, out of 118 global server locations, two of them are also in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka).
Speed and security: if we were to look for the fastest VPN, NordVPN would surely take the first place. Its proprietary NordLynx protocol delivers exceptional connection speeds. Coupled with advanced security and privacy features such as kill switch, obfuscation, and threat protection which deals with ads, malware, and trackers, NordVPN is truly a one-of-a-kind VPN provider.
Price: the prices for NordVPN start at $3.39/month. You can also get a 7-day free trial on mobile apps, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, check out our in-depth NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark – fast and affordable Japan VPN
| Based in: | The Netherlands |
| Servers/countries: | 3200+ servers in 100 countries |
| Servers in Japan: | 62 |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 86% OFF Surfshark + 3 months FREE 🔥 |
Surfshark is a great VPN for Japan. It is fast, affordable, and most importantly, it has 62 servers in Japan, which is just what we need. Besides, the numerous useful features make it even better.
Streaming: during our testing, Surfshark was really great at providing access to Japanese Netflix and a number of other streaming platforms that are only available in Japan. There were no noticeable issues with streaming quality. Surfshark also has no issue accessing other countries’ content libraries, and you can learn more about how it performs with streaming in general in our detailed review.
Apps and servers: Surfshark has 3200 servers in 100 countries, including Japan. The Surfshark apps are available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, as well as some other devices including Smart TVs. You could even try to set it up on your router and succeed.
Speed and security: known as one of the fastest VPNs on the market, Surfshark didn’t disappoint during our testing, too – you can see the results in our overview of the fastest VPN services. The security features of Surfshark include a kill switch, CleanWeb for safer and ad-free browsing, and obfuscation.
Price: the pricing for Surfshark starts from $2.19/month. You can also get a 7-day free trial. After that, there is also a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more by comparing Surfshark vs NordVPN.
3. PureVPN – secure and feature-rich VPN for Japan
| Based in: | British Virgin Islands |
| Servers/countries: | 6000+ servers in 65+ countries |
| Servers in Japan: | 6+ (in 1 city) |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now 83% OFF PureVPN + 2 FREE months 🔥 |
PureVPN is a good Japan VPN, especially for those who appreciate having many server locations to choose from, including 6 in Japan. It also has adequate speeds that are more than enough for streaming.
Streaming: like any other respectable VPN, PureVPN is great at unblocking streaming services in different countries. It successfully let us access the Netflix global and Japanese libraries, as well as Hulu in US and Japan, too. Fortunately, we experienced no buffering or other issues.
Apps and servers: besides the major operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, PureVPN also has apps available for several browsers and smart TVs. In terms of servers, it has 6000 virtual and physical servers in 65 locations all over the world, including Japan.
Speed and security: while PureVPN was not the fastest in all locations, it is certainly fast enough for quality streaming and browsing activities, particularly in the US and Japan. Speaking of browsing, with PureVPNs functional security features you will be perfectly anonymous and secure online.
Price: PureVPN’s pricing starts at $2.14/month. You can get a 31-day money-back guarantee too, and try this VPN risk-free for a month.
For more information, check out our PureVPN review.
4. ExpressVPN – solid Japan VPN option
| Based in: | British Virgin Islands |
| Servers/countries: | Servers in 105 countries |
| Servers in Japan: | Undisclosed number in Tokyo and Yokohama |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 61% OFF ExpressVPN + 4 months FREE 🔥 |
Liked by many, ExpressVPN is a rather acceptable VPN option for Japan. It is slightly more expensive than most VPNs, though. Nevertheless, it offers pretty good features and functionalities.
Streaming: during our testing, ExpressVPN successfully unblocked several streaming services, including Netflix in Japan, as well as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. There were no noticeable issues with video quality in any tested location either, which is a pretty big win.
Apps and servers: besides apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, ExpressVPN is also available on several browsers. The VPN also has servers in 105 locations, which are not at all bad numbers. Two of those locations are in Japan, too.
Speed and security: the signature ExpressVPN Lightway protocol makes this VPN provider pleasantly fast. Although it might not yet be able to compete with the likes of NordVPN, it still provides pretty good results. The security side of ExpressVPN is pretty standard– it offers an ad blocker, as well as a threat management feature, and stealth servers.
Price: Express VPN is quite expensive – the prices start at $4.99/month. You can get a 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day trial depending on your device, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For more information, read our ExpressVPN review. Also consider peeking into the NordVPN vs ExpressVPN face off for different insights.
5. CyberGhost – reliable VPN for Japan
| Based in: | Romania |
| Servers/countries: | 11500 servers in 100 countries |
| Servers in Japan: | 232 |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get 84% OFF CyberGhost + 4 months FREE🔥 |
CyberGhost is an adequate VPN for Japan – it has a lot of servers in Japanese locations, some pretty basic VPN features, and good security. It’s also pretty good with unblocking streaming services.
Streaming: while CyberGhost didn’t manage to unblock all streaming services that we tested, we could access Netflix Japan with the specialized streaming servers. And while it is a bit slow, it had no issue unblocking Netflix in the US or several European countries either. So, even if CyberGhost is not the best option for streaming, it still does an adequate job.
Apps and servers: CyberGhost is available for all major operating systems, including desktop and mobile. As for the servers, it has 11500 servers in 100 locations, some of which are in Japan. You get pretty good worldwide coverage.
Speed and security: unfortunately, CyberGhost is not the fastest VPN out there. While the speeds were overall enough for streaming and casual browsing, they definitely could be better. As for security, CyberGhost doesn’t really offer any features that stand out – you get the usual kill switch, split tunneling, and a pretty solid ad blocker.
Price: the price for CyberGhost starts at $2.03/month. This is a reasonable price. CyberGhost also has one of the longest money-back guarantees, which spans 45 days.
For more details, check out our CyberGhost review.
6. ProtonVPN – the best free VPN for Japan
| Based in: | Switzerland |
| Servers/countries: | 9900 servers in 117 countries |
| Servers in Japan: | 34 |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get up to 64% OFF ProtonVPN🔥 |
Out of all freemium VPNs, ProtonVPN is the best VPN for Japan with a free version. In fact, it might be the only VPN that offers free servers in Japan. Other than that, it’s still a pretty good VPN with adequate features and unblocking capabilities.
Streaming: ProtonVPN is pretty good at unblocking streaming services in different countries. The free servers in Japan easily granted us access to the Japanese Netflix and Hulu libraries. Other streaming services can be a bit of a gamble with the free version. Overall, ProtonVPN might sometimes take a few tries to work, but it can still unblock content libraries in a lot of countries worldwide.
Apps and servers: you can get ProtonVPN for all your most popular devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. In terms of servers, the free ProtonVPN version offers servers in 3 locations, one of which is Japan.
Speed and security: ProtonVPN is pretty fast – we didn’t have any speed issues when browsing or streaming. The free version also offers an unlimited amount of data. As for security, ProtonVPN uses industry-standard encryption. The free version lacks some more advanced security features such as a NetShield ad blocker and a double VPN.
Price: the free ProtonVPN version costs nothing, but since it is pretty limited, you might want to upgrade to the paid plans. The premium ProtonVPN plans start at $3.59/month, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, too.
For more information, read our ProtonVPN review.
Best VPNs for Japan compared
Here’s how the best Japan VPNs compare to each other:
| Brand | Rating | Servers | Speed retention (%) | Simultaneous connections | Best deal |
| NordVPN | 7100 servers in 118 locations (130 in Japan) | 93% | 10 | Get 72% OFF NordVPN | |
| Surfshark | 3200 servers in 100 locations (62 in Japan) | 92% | Unlimited | Now up to 86% OFF Surfshark + 3 months FREE | |
| PureVPN | 6000 servers in 65 locations (6 in Japan) | 95% | 10 | Now 83% OFF PureVPN + 2 FREE months | |
| ExpressVPN | Servers in 105 locations (2 locations in Japan) | 89% | 8 | Now up to 61% OFF ExpressVPN + 4 months FREE | |
| CyberGhost | 11500 servers in 100 locations (232 in Japan) | 74% | 7 | Get 84% OFF CyberGhost + 4 months FREE | |
| ProtonVPN | 9900 servers in 117 locations (34 in Japan) | 85% | 10 | Get up to 64% OFF ProtonVPN |
How we selected and tested these VPNs
This is how we found out whether a VPN was worth joining this list:
- Is it good for streaming? Unblocking streaming content is one of the most popular uses of a VPN, but as sites like Netflix Japan improve their geoblocking technology, you need a VPN that does the job consistently. The VPNs on this list are all efficient at content unblocking.
- Is it fast? A speedy connection is vital for streaming. The last thing you want is your movie buffering at a tense moment. The VPNs on this list consistently deliver fast speeds worldwide.
- Is it secure? A top VPN will always offer robust security. Features like Vault-like encryption, no-logs policies, and kill switches are the things to look out for to ensure your data is always protected.
- How much does it cost? Value for money is a top priority, and the price needs to reflect the service. Our recommended VPNs strike the right balance of cost and quality, so you can sign up with confidence.
- How reliable is the customer support? Sometimes you might need a helping hand to guide you through a feature or assist with a query, there’s where reliable tech support comes in. We’ve chosen VPNs that have several support options such as 24/7 live chat and informative guides.
Why do I need a VPN in Japan?
- Staying private. Japan doesn't have the same online restrictions as some of its neighboring countries, but ISPs and authorities can still track your data and activities, just like most countries. If you want to keep your online use hidden for any reason, a VPN will cloak your activity and give you total online privacy.
- Accessing geo-restricted content. If you’re not in Japan but still want to watch some Japanese content, using a VPN to connect to a server in Japan will mean you can access all the Japanese content you want. Meanwhile, if you want to access any worldwide content while in Japan, a quality VPN provider will help you do it securely and privately.
- Lower prices on goods and services. When looking for a new streaming platform to subscribe to or a product to purchase, you might find that different locations can be charged different prices. A VPN helps you change the location and potentially gain access to better deals.
Online censorship in Japan
You can use the Internet fairly freely in Japan. People can access everything available online, including apps, social media, blogs, and content sites - it’s all good, even if you’re not originally from Japan.
However, Japan does have some very strict web monitoring of online activities, which could be a big problem if you were to accidentally break any rules of conduct. For example, improper online behavior could lead to fines or even imprisonment.
Having a VPN is a great way to browse the web privately and securely. With a VPN hiding your IP address and your data from content owners, websites, and your ISP, no one will ever be able to see what you’re doing. Since the best VPNs have strict no-logs policies, your browsing data will never, ever be stored or shared with government agencies. As there are no logs to share, web monitoring agencies could only request live monitoring access at best.
Can I use a free VPN for Japan?
Yes, you can use a free VPN for Japan, but we don’t recommend doing that. Completely free VPNs often don’t work, and they have some other downsides:
- Free VPNs earn money by selling your data to third parties;
- They often don’t have a lot of servers, lack the most important features, and the performance is poor.
- Some free VPN apps can contain malware, trackers, and display annoying and malicious ads.
However, if you really want to find a free VPN option for Japan, you should consider a freemium VPN. Freemium VPNs are better in the sense that they’ll usually come from a reputable brand, so you won’t have to worry about security threats. However, many VPNs that offer free versions keep the best features and server locations under a paywall. So while they might be a good way of getting a feel of the VPN, you’ll likely want to upgrade to the paid version to get everything you need. ProtonVPN is the best free VPN for Japan, as it offers Japanese servers in its free version.
Conclusion
All in all, using a VPN in Japan is a perfect way to stay secure online when traveling. You will also be able to access Japan’s excellent streaming content from anywhere in the world.
With a VPN on your devices, you can unblock Netflix Japan and watch the latest anime that isn’t available anywhere else, download torrents without your ISP knowing, protect your data from digital snoopers, and make sure your info isn’t stored anywhere.
Our top choice for a Japan VPN is NordVPN. It has servers in Japan, as well as excellent content unblocking capabilities. And on top of that, it is the most secure VPN which offers threat protection, ad blocking, and other online safety and privacy features.
FAQ
Is NordVPN good for use in Japan?
Yes, NordVPN is ideal for use in Japan. NordVPN has a fleet of Japanese servers, as well as a wealth of features and watertight security functions. It unblocks content from all the big sites, keeps you secure, and is excellent value for money.
Are VPNs legal in Japan?
Yes, VPNs are completely legal to use in Japan. While some other Asian countries restrict VPN use, like North Korea and China, Japan has no such restrictions in place so you’re completely free to use a VPN in the country without any worries.
Which VPN has the most Japanese servers?
NordVPN has around 80 servers in Tokyo, so it’s great for use in Japan. Other recommended VPNs such as Surfshark and VyprVPN all have a selection of servers in Japan, sp pick any of these and you’ll have plenty of connection options.
Which VPN is best for Japan?
NordVPN and Surfshark are both excellent VPNs for Japan. With a massive range of Asian servers offering full privacy and excellent performance, you can't miss with either of the options. It's a good pick for both locals and tourists visiting Japan.
Can I access Netflix in Japan?
Yes, you can access Netflix in Japan, even when you are traveling. A quality VPN such as NordVPN with servers in Japan can help you access the Japanese Netflix library, as well as other streaming services and geo-blocked websites.
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