Prefix


[ General ]   [ Prefix ]   [ Suffix ]   [ Special Operation ]   [ 7J-8N ]   [ Designator ]   [ Official Criteria ]   ( callsign.jp )

  1. Issued Prefixes
  2. International Allocation — Currently JA-JS, 7J-7N and 8J-8N

    ITU (ex. International Radiotelegraphic Conference) allocated the following interenational call sign series to Japan:

    From Amateurs' View Point

    JB and JC have never been used for amateurs. These are reserved for unexpected future use, the JARL said. (Instead of the reservation, we chose the recycle of expired call signs at the shortage era.) But, the original reasons are the follows. It's somewhat a simple story:

    JD is reserved for Ogasawara. Only JD1 exists, no other numbers (i.e. JD2-JD0 don't exist).
    8K and 8L have never been used, either.
    8M appeared only twice for special events:
    as 8M2000 (two thousand), one of the three 2000 AD commemoration stations, and
    as 8M1C, one of the ten FIFA World Cup stations.

    Issued Prefixes, and the Years (for Individuals)
    Where, 
    YELLOW: District 1 Mainland
    BLUE: Ogasawara
    PURPLE: Both District 1 Mainland and Ogasawara
    GREEN: Okinawa

      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
    JA 1952-1966
    2003-2004
    1952-1970 1952-1969 1952-1973 1952-1976 1952-1971
    1999-2006
    1952-1973 1952-1975 1954-1979 1954-1975
    JB                    
    JC                    
    JD 1969-NOW                  
    JE 1971-1972
    1985-1986
    2004-2007
    1975-1978
    1992-1993
    1974-1975
    1991
    1981-1984 1986-1989 1978-1981
    2006-2021
    1981-1983 1984-1987 1991-1995 1986-1989
    JF 1972-1973
    1986
    2007-2009
    1978-1980
    1993
    1975-1978
    1991-1992
    1984-1987 1989-1991 1981-1983
    2021-NOW
    1983-1985 1987-1989 1995-NOW 1989-1991
    JG 1973-1974
    1986-1987
    2009-2011
    1980-1982
    1993
    1978-1980
    1992
    1987-1988 1991-1994 1983-1985 1985-1987 1989-1991   1991-1994
    JH 1966-1969
    1987
    2011-2013
    1970-1973
    1993-1994
    1969-1972
    1992-1993
    1973-1977 1976-1983 1971-1976 1973-1977 1975-1980 1979-1987 1975-1982
    JI 1974-1976
    1987-1988
    2013-2016
    1982-1984
    1994-1995
    1980-1981
    1993-1994
    1988-1990 1994-2000 1985-1987 1987-1989 1991-1993   1994-1997
    JJ 1976-1977
    1988
    2016-2020
    1984-1985
    1995
    1981-1982
    1994
    1990-1991 2000-NOW 1987-1988 1989-1991 1993-1995   1997-NOW
    JK 1977-1978
    1988-1989
    2020-NOW
    1985-1987
    1995
    1982-1983
    1994-1995
    1991-1993   1988-1989 1991-1992 1995-2000    
    JL 1978-1979
    1989
    1987-1988
    1995-1996
    1983-1984
    1995-1996
    1993-1994   1989-1990 1992-1994 2000-2010    
    JM 1979-1980
    1989
    1988-1989
    1996
    1984-1985
    1996-1998
    1994-1996   1990-1992 1994-1996 2010-NOW    
    JN 1980-1981
    1989
    1989-1990
    1996-1997
    1985-1987
    1998-2002
    1996-2007   1992-1993 1996-1999      
    JO 1981-1982
    1989
    1990
    1997-1998
    1987-1988
    2002-2011
    2007-NOW   1993-1994 1999-2009      
    JP 1982-1983
    1989
    1990-1991
    1998-2001
    1988-1989
    2011-2019
    Repeater Repeater 1994-1996 2009-2021 Repeater Repeater Repeater
    JQ 1983-1984
    1989-1990
    1991-1992
    2001-2007
    1989-1990
    2019-NOW
        1996-1999 2021-NOW      
    JR 1969-1971
    1990
    1973-1975
    2007-2015
    1972-1974 1977-1981 1983-1986 AA-:
    1972
    1977-1981 1980-1984 1987-1991 1982-1986
    AAA-:
    1976-1978
    QUA-:
    1972-1983
    JS 1984-1985
    1990
    1992
    2015-NOW
    1990-1991     1983-NOW        
      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
    7J 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999 1985-1999
    7K 1990 1991-1992 1993 1995-1996            
    7L 1990-1991 1992 1993-1994 1996-1997            
    7M 1991 1992-1993 1994 1997-1999            
    7N 1991 1993 1994-1995 1999-2003            
      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
    8J Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special
    8K                    
    8L                    
    8M (8M1C) (8M2000)                
    8N Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special Special

  3. Assigned Order
  4. The Japanese call signs have been assigned in the following order post war.

  5. Call Sign Shortage of Japan
  6. Call sign shortage of Japan was due to the increasing number of amateurs especially from 1980s to 1990s. This first occurred in Area 1 (Tokyo, Yokohama), followed by Area 3 (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe), Area 2 (Nagoya) and Area 6 (Kyushu mainland).


    Transition of Total Number of Amateur Stations in JA


    Increment of the Lowest Class Operator Licensees — Telephone Class (1958-1990) or 4th Class (since 1990)

    1ST STAGE — Recycle


    Consumption of Prefixes in Area 1

    2ND STAGE — 7K1-7N1

    3RD STAGE — 7K2-7N4

    4TH STAGE — Recycle, again

    "JA" Recycle Opened

  7. Special Rules for Okinawa — Two Parts of JR6 and All of JS6
  8. Formerly known as Ryukyu Islands (KR6 for Americans, and KR8 for the Japanese), Okinawa is a semi-tropical island group located in the south-west of Japan. It is now one of 47 prefectures of Japan since May 15, 1972. US hams in military bases may use the KA6 prefix as AMRS (Auxiliary Military Radio Station), but we are not allowed to communicate with them.

    Assigned Order

    Call signs (for individuals) have been assigned in the following order:

    JR6AAA-QQZ — NOT Okinawa

    One confusing fact. JR6AAA-QQZ are not Okinawa. They had been assigned for other Area 6 (Kyushu mainland). In contrast, all JS6 call signs are Okinawa. In other call areas except Area 6, JS# prefixes have no special geographical meaning. As JS is the last prefix to be assigned in J-series, we only have JS1, JS2, JS3 and JS6 call signs at this moment.

    Exception — What happened for the JR6 JS6 licensees who moved between Okinawa and Kyushu Mainland
    A licensee who moved between Okinawa and the Kyushu mainland with his/her JR6 call sign maintains his/her original one.

    Moved JR6 JS6 Licensees
    Buro  \  Block JR6AAA-QQZ JR6QUA-ZZZ
    JS6AAA-ZZZ
    Kyushu Mainland Allocated Used Exceptionally as:
    ex-JR6RVK in Miyazaki-city
    JS6AWR in Kanoya-city
    ex-JS6IPG in Yoshinogari-town, Kanzaki-gun
    Okinawa Used Exceptionally as:
    ex-JR6IXZ in Nago-city,
    ex-JR6MWZ in Shimajiri-gun
    Allocated

    Club Stations in the US Age — KR8YAA-YAU

    Club stations are permitted on March 13, 1970, and first licensed as KR8YAA on May 9, 1970. These stations changed their call signs from KR8YAA-YAU to JR6YAA-YAU.

  9. Special Rules for Ogasawara — All of JD1
  10. Ogasawara is a semi-tropical small island group located about 600 miles south of Tokyo, but it is one of the parts of the Metropolis (or Prefecture) of Tokyo (i.e. Area 1). Special prefix JD1 is assigned for here in 1969, to keep status as a separated country (now "entity") even after the handover from the US in 1968.


    Breach of DXCC Criteria

    JD1AAA-XZZ is allocated for individuals, JD1YAA-ZZZ for clubs.

    In the argument on a call area, "Ogasawara" consists of (1) strictly defined Ogasawara Is., (2) Kazan (or Iwo) Is., (3) Okino-torishima I. and (4) Minami-torishima I.
    Hierarchical Geographic Relations in the Broad Sense "Ogasawara" (JD1 Area)
    Administrative
    District
    Prefix Islands DXCC Country/Entity JCG# IOTA#
    - May 29, 1976
     
    May 30, 1976
    - Nov. 30, 1980

    Dec. 1, 1980 -
    Ogasawara-vil,
    Tokyo-pref.
    JD1 Nishinoshima I. JD1(/O) JD1(/O) JD1(/O) 10007 AS-031
    Ogasawara Is. aka
    Bonin Is.
    Mukojima Is.
    Chichijima Is.
    Hahajima Is.
    Kazan Is. aka
    Iwo Is. and
    Volcano Is.
    AS-030
    Okino-torishima I. aka
    Douglas Reef and
    Parece Vera
    7J1 ex AS-052
    (- Feb. 1, 2001)
    Minami-torishima I. aka
    Marcus I.
    JD1(/M) OC-073
    In some categorizations, Kazan Is. is included in Ogasawara Is.

  11. Prefix Ranking
  12. The following table shows a ranking of prefixes as of Dec. 28, 2023, according to individual stations' call signs.

    Ranking# of CallsAreacf. including
    Club stations
    cf. including
    Clubs stations, Repeaters and
    Repeater's Remote Controllers
    123456789Ø
    1 14371 JK1 14443
    2 10755 JJ1 10825
    3 9638 JP7 9682
    4 9354 JM8
    5 8932 JI1 8984
    6 8834 JS2
    7 8350 JP3 8461
    8 8211 JE6 8258
    9 7488 JH1 7572
    10 7011 JG1 7067
    11 6856 JR2 6937 6964
    12 6473 JJ5
    13 6417 JQ3
    14 6176 JA1 6400
    15 5947 JF1 5997
    16 5882 JL8
    17 5409 JE1 5472
    18 5238 JO4
    19 5138 JJ0
    20 4932 JO7
    21 4450 JO3
    22 4385 JA6 4516
    23 3735 JF6 3815
    24 3420 JF9
    25 3097 JK8
    26 3032 JQ2
    27 2866 JR1 2964 2992
    28 2819 JA2 2999
    29 2543 JQ7
    30 2392 JA3 2537
    31 2359 JN1 2430
    32 2346 JL1 2418
    33 2334 JM1 2408
    34 2254 JN4
    35 2242 JO1 2408
    36 2211 JA7 2352
    37 2195 JP1 2328
    38 2184 JH2 2256
    39 2160 JN3
    40 2068 JQ1 2651
    41 2050 JJ8
    42 2039 JA4 2145
    43 2005 JE2 2071
    44 1935 JA0 2025
    45 1933 JN7
    46 1930 JH3 1995
    47 1898 JF2 1958
    48 1890 JA8 2010
    49 1870 JA5 1953
    50 1863 JS1 2188
    51 1857 JP2 1971
    52 1809 JI2 1964
    53 1799 7N4
    54 1781 JG2 1826
    55 1710 JI8
    56 1709 JJ2 2055
    57 1700 JE3 1749
    58 1688 JG3 1727
    59 1673 JG8
    60 1670 JH7 1745
    61 1641 JA9 1741
    62 1623 JM3
    63 1617 JS6
    64 1603 JR7 1669 1690
    65 1592 JJ3 1635
    66 1591 JF3 1638
    67 1576 JI3 1620
    68 1553 JM7
    69 1549 JH8 1644
    70 1542 JK2
    71 1530 JO2
    72 1519 JL2
    73 1513 JN2
    74 1503 JI5
    75 1497 JM2
    76 1496 JE7 1750
    77 1492 JH6 1556
    78 1490 JH0 1542
    79 1431 JF8
    80 1431 JR8 1557 1569
    81 1428 JL3 1856
    82 1407 JK3 1478
    83 1389 JH4 1454
    84 1384 JJ7
    85 1383 JF7
    86 1383 JE8
    87 1339 JR4 1407 1424
    88 1320 JH5 1401
    89 1318 JK7
    90 1285 JR0 1434 1455
    91 1281 JL7
    92 1281 JR6 1316 1344
    93 1266 JQ6 1266 1270
    94 1252 JI7
    95 1242 JR5 1354 1378
    96 1238 JE4 1400
    97 1218 7M4
    98 1217 JG7
    99 1122 JG5
    100 1118 JF4
    101 1115 JE5 1116
    102 1110 JG6 1354
    103 1080 JF5
    104 1072 JR3 1152 1174
    105 1045 JE0
    106 1041 7L4
    107 1038 JH9 1154
    108 1015 JM4
    109 965 JO6
    110 964 JI4
    111 928 JJ4
    112 927 7K4
    113 922 JS3
    114 922 JL4
    115 920 JI0
    116 918 JF0
    117 898 JL6
    118 890 JN6
    119 883 JG4
    120 883 7K1
    121 860 JR9 893
    122 860 JI6
    123 860 JP6 920
    124 834 JK6
    125 832 JK4
    126 827 JM6
    127 826 7M3
    128 818 7N3
    129 801 JE9
    130 798 7N1
    131 796 JG0*
    132 785 7L1
    133 773 7M1
    134 764 JJ6
    135 716 7K3
    136 712 7L3
    137 685 7N2
    138 663 7K2
    139 624 7M2
    140 622 7L2
    141 117 JD1 134
    142 23 7J3 30
    143 22 7J1 28
    144 11 7J2 15
    145 5 7J4 6
    146 3 7J6 4
    147 3 7J0 4
    148 1 7J8 1
    149 7J5
    150 7J7
    151 7J9
    152 JP0 45
    153 JP9 24
    154 JP4 23
    155 JP5 21
    156 JP8 21
    157 8J1 12
    158 8J2 2
    159 8J4 2
    160 8J6 2
    161 8J7 2
    162 8J3 1
    163 8J5 1
    164 8N1 1
    165 8N2 1
    166 8N3 1
    167 8N7 1
    168 8J8
    169 8J9
    170 8J0
    171 8N4
    172 8N5
    173 8N6
    174 8N8
    175 8N9
    176 8N0

    *: Including a miss registration: JQ0OUZ.


[ General ]   [ Prefix ]   [ Suffix ]   [ Special Operation ]   [ 7J-8N ]   [ Designator ]   [ Official Criteria ]   ( callsign.jp )
Jan. 12, 2024, Ryota "Roy" Motobayashi, JJ1WTL