One out of every four elementary and junior high school students in the Tokyo metropolitan area has a mobile phone, according to a survey released Tuesday by NTT DoCoMo Inc.
The survey was conducted from December through January on 600 students between fifth grade in elementary school and second grade in junior high school.
Of the total, 147 students -- or 24.5 percent -- said they have their own mobile phone.
In addition, 19.3 percent of elementary school students and 29.7 percent of junior high school students own a mobile phone, with the rate rising to 32.7 percent for female junior high school students.
When asked the reasons for having them, 47.6 percent responded that a mobile phone had become a necessity, while 41.5 percent said their parents forced them to carry one.
The average monthly cost for a mobile phone was about 3,700 yen, but 6.1 percent of the students said they pay between 7,000 yen and 10,000 yen per month.