On October 16, 2026, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that it has selected partner companies for its “Emergency Rare Resource Collection Project” (希少資源緊急回収プロジェクト), which aims to promote the collection and recycling of mobile phones, PCs and other devices lying unused in homes across the capital. NTT Docomo and KDDI were selected as partners for the mobile phone collection initiative, and starting October 23, they will begin offering support for transferring data from used mobile phones at phone shops throughout Tokyo.
Small electronic devices contain rare metals and other scarce resources, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it is increasingly important to promote the circular use of such resources hidden close to home within the city. At the same time, mobile phones tend to remain stored in households even after they are no longer used, partly because they contain data such as photos and phone contacts. By supporting data transfer and erasure, the project aims to create an environment in which owners can part with their devices with peace of mind, thereby encouraging collection and recycling.
This project is the second phase of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Let’s Dig Up the Tokyo Mine!” (東京鉱山を掘り起こそう！) initiative. In the first phase, an AI-powered automatic sorting recycling box was installed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from June 26 to September 30, 2026, collecting small rechargeable electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable batteries. A cumulative total of 6,653 people visited, and 16,103 items were collected in all. By category, portable batteries were the most common at 5,114 units (31.7%), followed by feature phones (so-called “gara-kei,” Japan’s traditional flip phones) at 2,467 units (15.3%) and smartphones at 2,362 units (14.6%).
From October 23 to November 27, 2026 (tentative), NTT Docomo will run the initiative at around 200 Docomo Shop locations across Tokyo, including on remote islands. Customers who use the “Data Transfer Support” service and then hand in their used mobile phone through the “Docomo Mobile Phone Recycling” program will be offered the support service—normally priced at ¥2,200 (tax included)—for just ¥220, on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 10,000 applicants. Eligible data includes phone contacts, photos, videos and music, and transfers can be made to eligible Docomo smartphones, iPhones, tablets and other compatible devices. Individual apps such as LINE and their in-app data are not covered. The campaign period may be shortened depending on demand. Collected mobile phones undergo sorting, disassembly, crushing and smelting before being recovered as resources such as gold, silver, copper, palladium, cobalt and lithium.
KDDI, from October 23, 2026 to March 19, 2027, will have in-store staff provide free support at around 140 au Style/au Shop locations across Tokyo to transfer data from used mobile phones compatible with microSD cards to customers’ currently used devices. The service is available for any device that can still be powered on, regardless of the customer’s current mobile carrier. It is conditional on the customer agreeing to have the device collected after the data transfer; devices submitted as trade-ins are not eligible. The maximum amount of transferable data is 2GB. During the same period, KDDI will also hold a touring event called “Omoide Keitai Saikidō” (おもいでケータイ再起動, roughly “Memory Phone Restart”), starting at GINZA 456 and au Style UENO before moving to other locations across Tokyo, where visitors can have mobile phones that no longer charge revived and restarted using special equipment so they can check photos and other data stored on the device. Smartphones are not eligible for this event. Both initiatives may end earlier than scheduled.
As part of the same project, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will also launch a PC and small electronic device collection initiative starting October 23. ReNet Japan Recycle (リネットジャパンリサイクル) will serve as the operator, offering free courier pickup of unused PCs and other small electronic devices from homes and businesses for material recovery. For those who wish, the company will also provide a data erasure service for PCs.
NTT Docomo and KDDI have both long offered free collection of used mobile phones at stores nationwide. KDDI manually disassembles collected devices and sorts them by material, achieving a material recovery rate of 99.8%.
【Press release】Let’s Dig Up the Tokyo Mine!
【Press release】Selected for Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Emergency Rare Resource Collection Project”
【Press release】Selected as Implementing Partner for Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Emergency Rare Resource Collection Project (Mobile Phone Collection Initiative)”
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