Osaka will become the first region in Japan to ban people aged 65 and above from using ATMs while on mobile phones.
The move is aimed at curbing phone-based fraud that targets the elderly, local media reported.
Although there are no penalties, it seeks to raise awareness and prevent scams in which fraudsters pose as relatives or officials to steal money.
Under the updated prefectural ordinance, banks and other businesses will be obligated to raise awareness about the new regulation, The Japan Times reported.
Last month, it was reported that Japan’s National Police Agency was considering legally capping daily ATM withdrawals and transfers for people aged 75 and above at 300,000 yen to combat rising phone-based fraud targeting the elderly.
According to the latest data, losses from such scams reached a record 72.1bn yen in 2024 – 1.6 times greater than the previous year’s total, according to provisional figures.
Of the 20,951 individual victims, excluding corporate cases, approximately 45 per cent were aged 75 or older, Mainichi reported.
However, banks across Japan had expressed concern about the potential inconvenience to customers and the strain the police’s proposal at the time would place on ATM operations, according to Japanese media reports.
Osaka, one of Japan’s hardest-hit regions by phone-based fraud, has become the first to implement strict measures to protect the elderly. Lawmakers voted to cap daily bank transfers for those aged 70 and above at 100,000 yen and banned simultaneous ATM use and phone calls. Businesses were told to display warning posters near ATMs, and prepaid card sellers are required to verify that buyers are not at risk of fraud.
Cities like Tokyo, Nagano, and Fukuoka have introduced measures such as free fraud-prevention workshops, call-blocking devices, and alert systems in banks as well.
Ryo Hamaoka of the Osaka Crisis Management Office reportedly said that the broader aim of the ordinance is to turn phone use at ATMs into a social taboo – much like how speaking on mobile phones in trains has become widely frowned upon in Japan.
