Skip to content
HamQSO

JA1: Kanto

Callsigns beginning with JA1 were issued in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, in Japan. The same area appears in the series JE1, JF1, JG1, JH1, JI1, JJ1, JK1, JL1, JM1, JN1, JO1, JP1, JQ1, JR1, JS1, 7J1, 7K1, 7L1, 7M1, 7N1.

Call area

AreaKanto
RegionTokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi
DXCC entityJapan
DXCC number339
ContinentAsia
CQ zone25
ITU zone45

Every JA1 station counts for CQ zone 25 and ITU zone 45.

How call areas work in Japan

Japan is divided into ten call areas, numbered 1 to 9 and 0, each a group of prefectures: area 1 is Kanto around Tokyo, area 3 Kinki around Osaka, area 8 Hokkaido, area 6 Kyushu and Okinawa. The JA to JS series (JD apart) and 7J share the digits; 7K to 7N are issued only in area 1.

JD1 is used for Ogasawara and for Minami-Torishima, which are separate DXCC entities. All of mainland Japan is in CQ zone 25 and ITU zone 45, so the area matters for domestic awards and contests such as the JIDX, where JA stations send their prefecture number.

Portable and moved stations

Operators away from home often add a suffix such as /P or the number of the area they are in, and many keep a JA1 call after moving. For awards the place of operation counts, so the prefix is a strong hint, not proof.

Other call areas of Japan

JapanLook up a callsign