Area Code 262 – Nagano, Nagano

Overview of Area Code 262 (Japan)

Area code 262 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) within the Japanese numbering plan, assigned to the city of Nagano and its surrounding areas in Nagano Prefecture, located in the Chūbu region of Honshu, Japan. This code is part of the closed dialing plan used in Japan, where the full national number consists of the trunk prefix 0, the NDC, and the subscriber number. For international callers, the country calling code +81 replaces the leading zero.

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The 262 area code serves the administrative jurisdiction of Nagano City, the prefectural capital, along with neighboring municipalities including Suzaka, Chikuma, Nakano, and parts of Iiyama and Shinano. The region is known for its mountainous terrain, including the Japanese Alps, and is a hub for tourism, particularly winter sports and the historic Zenkō-ji temple. The numbering area is defined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and is administered by the Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA).

Dialing Formats and Instructions

Within Japan, calls to numbers in the 262 area code are dialed as 0262-XX-XXXX, where the first digit of the subscriber number is typically between 2 and 9. The total length of the national significant number (NSN) is 10 digits, excluding the trunk prefix 0. For example, a local call from within Nagano to a subscriber number would be dialed as 262-XX-XXXX (omitting the trunk prefix) if the caller is in the same charging group, but in practice, the full 10-digit format is often used for clarity.

For international callers, the format is +81 262 XX XXXX (or +81-262-XX-XXXX). For instance, to call a Nagano number from abroad, one would dial +81 262 123 4567 (with the leading 0 of the NDC omitted). The country code +81 is followed by the NDC without the leading zero, and then the subscriber number.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

Currently, there is no overlay code for the 262 area; it remains a standalone geographic code. However, Japan has implemented number portability for fixed-line services, allowing subscribers to retain their numbers when switching carriers within the same geographic area. This does not affect the geographic significance of the code, which remains tied to the physical location of the line.

Caller Instructions

Local callers within the 262 area can dial the 10-digit number (including the 0) for all calls, as per the standard Japanese dialing procedure. When calling from outside the area but within Japan, dial 0262 followed by the subscriber number. For international callers, always replace the leading 0 with +81 and drop the 0 when dialing from abroad. Ensure you have the correct country exit code (e.g., 011 from the US, 00 from most European countries) before dialing +81.