There were more than 15 million subscribers to high-speed broadband Internet connection services in Japan as of the end of April, a preliminary government report showed Monday.
The number of subscribers topped the 10 million mark at the end of May 2003.
Industry analysts said falling communication charges amid fierce competition led to the increase in the number of broadband subscribers.
Masayoshi Son, president of Internet-business investor Softbank Corp., has said charges in Japan are "the lowest among developed countries."
Japan now ranks second in the number of broadband subscribers after the United States. About a third of Japan's households use such Internet services.
U.S. broadband users stood at 20.65 million as of late June. South Korea had 11.48 million subscribers at the end of April, the third-largest in the global ranking.
Of broadband users in Japan, 11.51 million connect via asymmetrical digital subscriber lines, 2.62 million use cable television networks and 1.24 million use fiber-optic-based services, the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry said.
Growth in subscriptions to higher-speed fiber-optic services was notable, surging 3.6-fold in the past year.