The Best VPNs for Japan

There aren’t many VPNs as easy to use as ExpressVPN.

Compared to many of its rivals, ExpressVPN has gone for a plug-and-play approach whereby many additional features, like rotating IPs and protocol obfuscation happen in the background.

This simplifies the experience for VPN newbies, who can enjoy secure internet connections without worrying about enabling various settings within the application.

On security, ExpressVPN doesn’t cut corners. It runs on Lightway, its own proprietary protocol that uses AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, and diskless servers that don’t store any activity data.

In Japan, where ISPs can legally hold your connection logs for up to six months, ExpressVPN’s watertight no-logs policy is also a point of strength.

Plus, ExpressVPN’s logging policy has been proven under pressure: servers have been seized by authorities twice over the years, but not a single piece of user data was retrieved.

For expats and tourists in Japan, ExpressVPN worked wonders to unblock geo-restricted content.

For starters, it’s a fantastic VPN for watching Netflix as it can access 18 regions, including Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Connecting to its US VPN servers also restored our access to HBO Max, Peacock, and YouTube TV pretty much instantly.

And when we switched to a UK VPN server, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Sky Go all streamed without a hitch.

Whichever country you’re calling home, the content you’d miss while in Japan is only a server switch away.

We enjoyed similar access on the VPN’s Japanese servers, which unlocked popular platforms like Netflix Japan, AbemaTV, and TVer. Here are our streaming results:

Table showing ExpressVPN’s access to Japanese content platforms.

Streaming Service	Unblocked?
AbemaTV	Yes
DAZN Japan	No
Crunchyroll Japan	Yes
Disney+ Japan	Yes
Hulu Japan	Yes
Netflix Japan	Yes
Prime Video Japan	Yes
TVer	Yes
U-Next	Yes

ExpressVPN and NordVPN performed very similarly in our streaming tests. For Japanese Netflix in particular, NordVPN was actually more reliable since not every ExpressVPN server worked all the time.

But ExpressVPN is simply unbeatable when it comes to its usability and device compatibility. Not even NordVPN can compete.

In addition to very well-designed and beginner-friendly apps on computers and smartphones, ExpressVPN is especially great on streaming devices, like Firestick, Android TV, and Apple TV.

All these native apps use the same user interface which makes switching from one device to another child’s play.

ExpressVPN is priced very competitively and you’ll enjoy superior performances in streaming, speed, and user experience without the typical pricing markup.

If you’re not prepared to subscribe just yet, you can use ExpressVPN’s free trial to test the VPN for a short period of time.

The service’s 7-day free trial is available to new iOS and Android users, and you can then use your newly-created account details on your other devices.

There’s also a no-hassle 30-day money-back guarantee on all subscription plans that you can take advantage of.

NordVPN’s feature set goes a little deeper than ExpressVPN’s. A few of these extra settings are particularly useful in Japan.

Multi-hop (or Double VPN) routes your connection through two VPN servers instead of one, adding an extra layer of encryption.

It’s overkill for casual browsing, but worth knowing about given Japan’s 2025 Active Cyber Defense legislation, which expanded law enforcement’s access to local ISP data.

Threat Protection Pro, NordVPN’s built-in malware blocker, is also worthy of mention. Unlike ExpressVPN, which only flags malicious links, NordVPN scans files as they’re downloaded and blocks threats before they reach your device.

It’s a particularly useful layer of protection when you’re on the go and where the temptation to quickly download something over an unsecured WiFi connection is real.

The most distinctive feature, though, is Meshnet. It lets you create a secure, private connection back to your home network from any country. It’s entirely free, and doesn’t even require an active NordVPN subscription.

For tourists or expats in Japan, that means accessing files on a home computer or routing your traffic through your home country’s IP address as if you never left.

NordVPN doesn’t unlock quite as many international platforms as ExpressVPN, but for the services that actually matter to most people, it more than holds its own.

For British users, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4 all worked reliably in our tests.

BBC iPlayer in particular is one of NordVPN’s standout strengths, performing as well as any VPN we’ve tested for it.

As for American services, US Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ all streamed without issue.

Just like ExpressVPN, NordVPN also accessed most geo-restricted Japanese streaming services with the exception of DAZN Japan.

Our DAZN VPN of choice for Japan is Windscribe Pro.

If you want to try the service before buying it, you can give NordVPN’s 3-day free trial a go by signing up through the Play Store.

It’s a shorter trial period than ExpressVPN’s, and less flexible than Surfshark’s, but you still get three full days of free use.

There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee to fall back on if you buy a subscription and then change your mind.

No other VPN on this list does more for mobile gamers than Surfshark, especially when it comes to JRPG and Gacha games.

Most VPNs only change your IP address. Surfshark’s ‘Override GPS Location’ setting on Android goes further, replacing your phone’s physical coordinates with those of your chosen server location.

That’s a big deal for location-based games like the Japan-only Dragon Quest Walk.

The game requires matching Japanese IP and GPS data to play, and Surfshark is the only VPN we recommend that satisfies both requirements.

We tested it ourselves and it worked without issue, both with Dragon Quest Walk as well as other games like Pokémon GO and Monster Hunter Now.

Moreover, simply using Surfshark’s Japanese IP addresses allowed us to play Monster Strike from abroad, even while on the go.

That’s where Surfshark’s ‘Use Small Packets’ (MTU) setting earns its keep, especially on patchy underground signals like New York’s subway or Tokyo’s metro.

MTU adjusts how your data is packaged for transmission, cutting down jitter on weaker cellular connections considerably. We noticed a real difference when we turned the setting on.

It’s safe to say that Surfshark packs in way more privacy tools than you’d expect at such a low price.

‘Dynamic MultiHop’ routes your traffic through two separate VPN servers, adding a second layer of encryption.

Japan’s 2025 Active Cyber Defense legislation gave law enforcement broader access to telecoms provider data, so that extra layer is meaningful.

‘Rotating IP’ cycles your IP address at regular intervals without changing your server location.

Underpinning all of this is a no-logs policy independently verified by a third-party auditor. No record of your activity exists to be handed over to anyone.

Most VPN free trials are mobile-only, so you’ll have to go via a mobile app store first to then use them on your other devices.

Surfshark’s 7-day trial is available through both its website and mobile app stores, giving you more flexibility in how you test it.

Every feature is unlocked from day one, including GPS spoofing and the MTU setting.

However, the trial requires payment details upfront and is only available on 12- or 24-month plans.

A word of advice: cancel auto-renewal the moment you sign up. Seven days goes quickly, and Surfshark won’t remind you before billing starts.

Japan has intensified its monitoring of what happens online. ISPs are now allowed to retain connection metadata for up to six months and law enforcement has unlimited access to telecommunications data.

In this climate, using Proton VPN is a free way to ensure you stay private and secure at all times.

That’s because Proton keeps no logs of your activity, a policy that’s been independently audited and verified.

Its apps are also fully open-source, meaning security researchers can inspect the code for vulnerabilities.

This level of transparency is rare even among paid VPNs, let alone free ones.

The main limitation is that Proton’s free tier no longer lets you choose your server location.

Despite operating a free server in Japan, you can’t manually connect to it. The app connects you automatically to the fastest (often nearest) available option, which may or may not be Japan.

Proton’s free Japanese server, if you’re lucky enough to connect to it, doesn’t unblock geo-restricted streaming services.

In our tests, it failed to access Netflix Japan, AbemaTV, and all other Japanese platforms.

If you want consistent access to Japanese streaming content, or control over which country your IP address comes from, we recommend you choose one of the top-rated VPNs above.

For a free VPN, Windscribe’s success rate with streaming is exceptional.

Its free servers in 10 countries, including Canada, the UK, and the US, work with many popular content platforms.

For example, British expats will love that the VPN consistently streams BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and Sky Go from outside the UK.

And Americans abroad will be able to watch Hulu, HBO Max, and even ESPN outside of the US. The free Android GPS spoofing setting was especially handy with US sports apps.

From Japan, the VPN’s Hong Kong server, the closest to Japan on the free tier, gave us the fastest speeds and lowest latency. It even worked with popular local platforms like Viu.

Windscribe’s streaming access is genuinely impressive, but it comes at a cost not everyone is happy to put up with.

Buffering on the free servers can be a real problem, with the loading spinner often appearing every 10 to 15 seconds during live streams.

Moreover, the constant CAPTCHAs triggered by search engines, particularly when using Windscribe’s browser extensions, added to our frustration.

Then there’s the data cap. At 10GB per month, you’re looking at roughly four hours of HD streaming before you’re cut off.

For occasional use that’s workable. For anything more, you’ll hit the limit fast and find yourself weighing whether to upgrade.