How to Cancel Utilities When Moving Out in Japan: 2026 Checklist

Do not start by calling the company name printed on a meter or network box. Start with the latest bill, app, customer portal, bank debit or credit-card statement and identify the company that actually holds and bills each contract.

A single apartment can involve several separate contracts. Electricity, city gas or LP gas, water, fiber internet, an internet service provider, fixed telephone, television options, security services and rental communications equipment may all have different cancellation procedures.

• Provider or billing company name.
• Contract holder's registered name.
• Customer, account or contract number.
• Old service address.
• Desired final service date.
• Current payment method.
• Final-bill address or email.
• Rental equipment and optional services attached to the contract.

A domestic move does not always require a complete cancellation. Some electricity, gas and internet providers can stop the old address and start the new address through one moving procedure. In other cases, the new property uses a different provider, building system or line and a new contract is necessary.

Compare relocation and cancellation before you submit anything. Internet deserves particular attention because a move can affect construction work, remaining installation charges, fixed-term fees, bundled mobile discounts and rental-equipment handling.

• Can the current contract be used at the new address?
• Will the plan or price change?
• Is installation or removal work required?
• Will a cancellation fee or remaining construction charge apply?
• Will a bundle discount disappear?
• Does the new building designate a particular service or provider?

The best stop date is usually the last day you genuinely need the service, not automatically the morning the moving truck arrives. You may still need lighting, water, hot water, cleaning equipment and toilets while cleaning or meeting the landlord for the final inspection.

Internet should usually be handled first because cancellation calls, relocation checks, line work and equipment returns can require lead time. For electricity, gas and water, check your own provider's deadline instead of applying one national rule to every contract.

• Confirm the moving-truck date.
• Confirm the final cleaning date.
• Confirm the landlord or management-company inspection date.
• Check whether repair or restoration work continues after your belongings leave.
• Leave enough time to correct an online request that fails because of a name, address or customer-number mismatch.

Use the official website, app or customer center of your electricity retailer. Have the current contract information ready. TEPCO, for example, states that the current contract must be identified and warns that multiple contracts at one property may require separate stop applications.

Follow the retailer and building instructions for the final day. TEPCO asks customers to switch the breaker to OFF when moving out. On-site attendance is not normally the core step for an ordinary electricity stop, but special site work or access conditions can still lead to contact from the retailer or network operator.

• Verify the exact electricity retailer on the bill.
• Submit the final-use date through its official channel.
• Save the completion screen, email or reference number.
• Switch appliances off before leaving.
• Follow the provider's breaker instructions after all necessary cleaning and inspection work is finished.
• Check a second time if the property has more than one electricity contract.

Gas needs more care because the closing procedure can involve a technician. First identify whether the property uses city gas or LP gas and confirm the company that bills you. Do not assume the network operator or a name on an appliance is your retailer.

Tokyo Gas recommends applying early and states that attendance is required when the technician cannot reach the gas meter, including some auto-lock buildings. A representative such as a building manager can be acceptable in its procedure. Other gas and LP-gas providers can use different rules, so confirm directly.

• Provide the customer number, address and stop date.
• Ask whether meter access requires attendance.
• Arrange a representative when the provider allows it and you cannot attend.
• Ask separately about rented gas alarms or provider-owned equipment.
• Do not remove meters or fixed gas equipment yourself.
• If you smell gas, use the provider's emergency procedure rather than waiting for the scheduled move-out visit.

Water is often administered by a municipal or regional water bureau, although some buildings include water in rent or management fees. Confirm who bills you before submitting a stop request.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks instructs customers to complete start or stop procedures three to four days in advance and warns that basic charges can continue if a stop notice is not filed. Keep water available until cleaning and any final inspection are complete.

• Find the water customer number on the usage notice or account.
• Submit the stop address and final use date.
• Give a valid final-bill or contact destination.
• Check whether stop and start can be handled together when moving within the same authority's service area.
• Do not close a building's main water valve unless the landlord, management company or water authority instructs you.

Home internet can involve a line operator, internet service provider, telephone service, television options, security products and rental equipment. Cancelling only one layer can leave another charge active.

Check whether the contract can be moved to the new home before cancelling it. If you do cancel, verify the final-use date, any removal work, cancellation fees, remaining installation installments, linked mobile discounts and every device that must be returned.

• Fiber, cable or home-router service.
• Internet service provider if billed separately.
• Fixed telephone or number-porting status.
• Television and optional support services.
• ONU, modem, home gateway, Wi-Fi router, adapters and rental accessories.
• Remaining construction or device installments.

Returning a router or ONU does not necessarily cancel the service, and cancelling the service does not mean every device has already been returned. Complete both processes.

NTT West says rental communications equipment should be returned using the return kit sent after the relevant procedure. NTT East also sends a return kit in cases where no technician visit is needed. SoftBank explicitly warns that returning equipment by itself does not complete a cancellation and that return requirements differ by device and situation.

• List every provider-owned device and accessory.
• Photograph the model and serial number before packing.
• Follow the provider's return kit, address and deadline.
• Keep the shipping or tracking receipt.
• Do not return equipment you personally purchased.
• Do not leave rental equipment in the apartment unless the provider or building gives clear instructions.

The service can stop before the final charge is calculated. Electricity, gas, water and internet providers can issue a last bill after you have moved, and equipment charges or refunds can arrive even later.

Tokyo Gas advises customers using direct debit or credit cards not to close the registered account or card too soon because final gas and electricity charges can still be settled through the existing payment method. Apply the same principle to other providers: confirm the final payment route before closing a bank account or leaving Japan.

• Check whether the final bill uses direct debit, card, payment slip or another method.
• Give a working postal or email address.
• Confirm any deposit or overpayment refund.
• Check cancellation, removal, construction or equipment charges.
• Keep confirmations and receipts until the account balance is zero.

International departure makes unresolved utility accounts harder to fix because you may lose access to a Japanese phone number, postal address, bank account or easy domestic return shipping.

Ask each provider how the final bill, refund and equipment return will be handled after departure. Keep your Japanese payment account active when necessary and do not cancel the phone number used for authentication until important accounts have been updated.

• Return internet equipment before departure when possible.
• Provide an overseas email address and another accepted contact method.
• Keep the bank account or card needed for final settlement active long enough.
• Save login information and international support details.
• Keep digital copies of cancellation confirmations and tracking receipts.