Blu-rays sold in Japan are made for Japanese players. Whether one plays at home depends on its region code, a letter set on both the disc and the player.
In short:
- Japan is Region A, the same as North America. Many Japanese releases are also region-free. Either way, Japanese Blu-rays usually play on players from the US and Canada.
- Players from Europe, the UK and Australia are Region B. Check each disc: a Region A disc won’t play on them, a region-free disc will.
- 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays normally have no region code. DVDs use different regions: Japan is Region 2, the same as Europe.
Table of Contents
What is a region code?
A Blu-ray player is set to one region, and plays only discs of that region (and region-free discs). There are three regions:
| Region | Where |
|---|---|
| A | North, Central and South America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia |
| B | Europe, the UK, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand |
| C | China, Russia, India and some other countries |
Some discs are region-free (marked ABC). They play in any region.
Japanese Blu-rays and your player
Blu-rays made for the Japanese market are Region A or region-free. Many anime and music releases are region-free, but not all of them.
- US, Canada, Latin America: your player is also Region A, so a Japanese Blu-ray usually plays. You don’t need a Japanese player.
- Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand: your player is Region B. A Region A disc won’t play unless your player is multi-region. A region-free disc plays.
- Elsewhere: check which region your player was sold for.
The same applies to a Blu-ray you buy in Japan and take home.
The region code says nothing about subtitles. A disc that plays may still have no English subtitles, so check the language information too.
How to check a disc’s region
- Amazon.co.jp: the Product details section of some listings shows リージョンコード (region code), with a value such as ブルーレイ リージョンフリー (Blu-ray region-free). Search results can also be filtered by リージョンコード.
- The official product page: spec lists sometimes include the region code.
- The package: Japanese DVDs usually show the region number on the back. Some Japanese Blu-rays don’t show a region at all.
- Our product pages: we write the region when we can confirm it, and say so when we can’t.
Some releases don’t list the region at all. In that case, treat it as Region A to be safe.
4K Ultra HD Blu-rays
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format has no region code, so a Japanese 4K disc normally plays on any 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
- A few discs have been reported to check the player’s region anyway, so this isn’t guaranteed.
- The 4K version may come with fewer extras than the Blu-ray editions. For example, the 4K version of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe has the main feature only. Compare the contents before choosing.
DVDs
DVDs use a different set of regions. Japan is Region 2, the same as Europe, not Region 1 like the US and Canada. A Japanese Blu-ray may play on a US player while a Japanese DVD won’t.
If your player is a different region
- Multi-region players can play discs from more than one region. Check what your player supports in its manual.
- Computers need a Blu-ray drive and Blu-ray playback software. The drive has a region too, and it can often be switched, but only a limited number of times.
- If neither works for you, look for a 4K Ultra HD version of the release.
What we haven’t verified
We’re based in Japan, so we can’t test Japanese discs on players sold in other regions.
- Whether a given release is Region A or region-free, when the listing doesn’t say
- Which game consoles play Japanese Blu-rays in your country
- How many times a given computer drive lets you change its region
Tell us
Played a Japanese Blu-ray outside Japan? Tell us your country, the disc, and whether it played through the Contact page. We’ll add it to this guide as “reported by a reader” (country and date only, never your name or email).
FAQ
Do I need a Japanese Blu-ray player?
No. Japanese Blu-rays are Region A or region-free, so a player from the US or Canada plays them. In Europe, the UK or Australia, you need a region-free disc or a multi-region player.
Can I buy a Blu-ray in Japan and play it at home?
Yes, with the same rules as ordering one. A Japanese Blu-ray usually plays in North America. A Japanese DVD usually won’t, because Japan is DVD Region 2.
Will Japanese Blu-rays play in the UK or Australia?
Only if the disc is region-free or your player is multi-region. Players sold in the UK and Australia are Region B.
Are 4K Ultra HD discs from Japan region-free?
Normally yes. The 4K Ultra HD format has no region code, though a few discs have been reported to check the player’s region anyway.
Will a Japanese Blu-ray play on my computer?
You need a Blu-ray drive and Blu-ray playback software. The drive’s region works the same way as a player’s.
Do Japanese Blu-rays have English subtitles?
Many don’t. Look for 英語字幕 (English subtitles) in the spec list. On our product pages, we say which discs have English subtitles.
