JP — ITmedia
au Email Outage Starts in the Morning, Making Service Hard to Use Nationwide
Software1 min read
On October 28, 2026, KDDI said that its au mail service was hard or impossible to use across Japan. The problem began early in the morning and was still going on later that morning.
What happened
KDDI said that the carrier email service for au and UQ mobile, called the "au mail service," was not working or was hard to use nationwide. It started at 6:00 a.m. on October 28. At 7:10 a.m., the problem was still going on. The cause is still being checked. Voice calls and mobile data still work.
Key facts
- Start time: 6:00 a.m. on October 28, 2026
- Time the problem was still happening: 7:10 a.m.
- Affected brands: au and UQ mobile
- Affected service: au mail service (carrier email)
- Working services: voice calls and mobile data
Background
KDDI is one of Japan's big phone companies. Its au and UQ mobile brands give people phone service and email addresses. A carrier email address is tied to the phone company, not to a free email provider. So when this service fails, people cannot send or receive mail through that address, even if their phone can still make calls.
Why it matters
Many people in Japan use their carrier email for daily messages, bills, and account logins. When it stops, people may miss important messages. This story also shows that a phone can work for calls and data while one important service, like email, does not.
What to watch
- When KDDI says the service is fully back to normal
- What caused the problem
- Whether KDDI gives a clear time estimate for the fix
- Any steps users should take to get missed messages
Glossary
- KDDI
- A large Japanese phone and internet company that runs the au and UQ mobile brands.
- au
- A mobile phone brand run by KDDI.
- UQ mobile
- A low-cost mobile phone brand run by KDDI.