au and UQ mobile email outage (28 Oct 2026): is it just me, how to read au mail on Webmail, and who to contact

Summary: According to KDDI, carrier email for au and UQ mobile has been unavailable or hard to use across Japan since 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The au mail portability service (for people who kept their au address after leaving au) is affected too. From KDDI’s 11:10 a.m. update, sending email works again, but receiving can still fail or be slow. Voice calls and mobile data are not affected. KDDI says the cause is a continuing high processing load on its email equipment, and that no unauthorised intrusion into its systems has been confirmed. As of the 1:10 p.m. update, there is no estimate for full recovery.

Based on KDDI’s outage notices of 28 October 2026 (6:09 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. updates). Checked on 28 October 2026.

What is still affected, what works and what to do in the au and UQ mobile email outage (KDDI, 1:10 p.m. update) — What is affected and what to do (based on KDDI’s notice, 1:10 p.m. update)

What is happening
Is it just me?
What to do now
Who to contact
FAQ
Related reading
Sources

What is happening

Since: 6:00 a.m., Wednesday 28 October 2026 (still continuing at the 1:10 p.m. update)
Area: nationwide
Affected: au and UQ mobile carrier email, and the au mail portability service. Email may not work, or may be hard to use.
Improved: sending email works again (from the 11:10 a.m. update).
Not affected: voice calls and mobile data.
Cause: high processing load on KDDI’s email equipment. No unauthorised intrusion confirmed so far.
Recovery: no estimate yet. KDDI says it will announce one when it is known.

Is it just me?

If you use the email address you got from au or UQ mobile and messages are not arriving or are very late, you are probably affected by this outage, not a problem with your phone. Other email services, such as Gmail or iCloud Mail, are not part of KDDI’s notice. Because mobile data still works, apps that run over data can still be used.

If you are not sure which carrier email address you have, or you only recently got a Japanese number, our guide Getting a Japanese phone number as a new resident explains the basics of mobile contracts in Japan.

What to do now

Check KDDI’s latest notice. KDDI is updating its outage notice about once an hour. Open it from KDDI’s official site yourself rather than from a link in a message.
Try au Webmail. KDDI says au email can also be used in a browser on a smartphone or PC through Webmail, by logging in with your au ID at au.com/mobile/service/webmail/. This only works if you had already set up Webmail; if not, you cannot use it. Receiving mail may still take time on Webmail.
If something is urgent (a booking confirmation, a sign-in code, a message from school or work), ask the sender to use another email address, a phone call or SMS until the outage is over.
Be careful with messages about the outage. If you receive a message about the outage asking you to log in or enter details, do not use its links. Check KDDI’s official site directly.

Who to contact

KDDI’s notice lists these contacts:

Chat: links for au and UQ mobile customers are in KDDI’s notice. AI chat is available 24 hours a day; human agents from 9:00 to 20:00.
au customers (phone): 157 from an au mobile (no area code), or 0077-7-111 from other mobiles and landlines. 9:00 to 20:00, every day, free of charge.
UQ mobile customers (phone): 0120-929-818 from mobiles and landlines. 10:00 to 19:00, every day, free of charge.

FAQ

Q. Can I make calls and use the internet?
A. Yes. KDDI says voice calls and mobile data are working normally.

Q. Was my email account hacked?
A. KDDI says the cause is a high processing load on its email equipment, and that no unauthorised intrusion into its systems has been confirmed so far.

Q. Will emails sent to me during the outage be lost?
A. KDDI’s notice does not say. If an email is important, ask the sender to resend it or to contact you another way.

Q. When will it be fixed?
A. As of the 1:10 p.m. update, KDDI has not given a recovery time. Check its latest notice.