HBO Max Is Launching in Japan on Prime Video and Hulu — Here's How the Two Versions Differ

HBO Max is coming to Japan on October 1 — but not as its own app. Warner Bros. Discovery is launching it as a hub inside two existing services, Prime Video and Hulu Japan, and the two versions work differently enough that “is HBO Max included” doesn’t have one answer.

The short version: on Hulu, HBO Max Standard is folded into the regular Hulu subscription at no separate charge. On Prime Video, HBO Max is a separate paid add-on, priced at ¥1,000 a month for Standard or ¥1,400 for Premium. Neither route involves downloading a standalone HBO Max app — everything runs inside the app you already have.

The comparison, side by side

What “included with Hulu” actually means

This is the detail worth pausing on. “No extra HBO Max charge” describes the add-on price, not Hulu itself. Hulu Japan’s own regular monthly price is changing on the same date this deal takes effect: the standard direct-billed plan moves from ¥1,026 to ¥1,320 (tax included) starting October 1, and subscribers paying through iTunes, Google Play or Amazon in-app billing move to ¥1,450. New sign-ups get the new price immediately; existing subscribers see it from their first billing date on or after October 1, with iTunes customers shifted slightly later, from October 28. Hulu is pairing the increase with a monthly point credit worth about ¥400, usable within 90 days, and some bundled contracts (Disney+ bundle, carrier plans, cable billing) are excluded from the change entirely. None of that is an HBO Max surcharge — it’s Hulu’s base subscription getting more expensive at the same time HBO Max becomes part of what that subscription includes.

The Prime Video route

On Prime Video, HBO Max sits as its own subscription line rather than something bundled into an existing plan. Standard runs ¥1,000 a month for up to 1080p across two simultaneous streams; Premium runs ¥1,400 for 4K UHD across four. Both are managed and billed entirely inside the Prime Video app — there’s no separate HBO Max login or app to install. What isn’t clearly stated in WBD’s or Amazon’s own Japan materials is whether subscribing to the HBO Max add-on requires an underlying Amazon Prime membership; treat that as unconfirmed rather than assumed, since it directly affects the actual total cost of this route.

What’s actually in the catalog at launch

WBD’s Japan catalog draws from HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros.’ film and TV libraries and DC Studios — not a full mirror of every title on HBO Max in the U.S. Hulu’s own announcement names specific October 1 titles rather than leaving it vague: The Last of Us (Seasons 1–2), Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon (Seasons 1–3), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Pitt, Lanterns, Dune: Prophecy, Doom Patrol, IT: Welcome to Derry and Chernobyl are all confirmed for day one. Treat that list as representative of what’s landing, not as the entire library — WBD hasn’t published a complete catalog.

The new HBO Original Harry Potter series, which recast Gilderoy Lockhart with Kit Harington ahead of Season 2, is expected on Hulu in Japan in late December — Hulu’s own announcement uses that general timing rather than a specific date, so don’t read a fixed premiere date into it yet.

What isn’t confirmed yet

A few things are still open: whether Prime Video’s HBO Max add-on requires an underlying Prime membership, when the catalog expands beyond its launch list, and whether every HBO Max title available elsewhere in the world will eventually reach Japan. WBD hasn’t announced a standalone HBO Max app for Japan — Prime Video and Hulu are the only two confirmed routes.

This also replaces HBO Max’s only prior Japanese distribution, which ran through U-Next starting in 2024, not through either Prime Video or Hulu.

For viewers already paying for Hulu, the Prime Video/Hulu split mostly comes down to what you already subscribe to and whether 4K matters: an existing Hulu subscriber gets HBO Max Standard without adding a new bill, while someone who specifically wants 4K and four simultaneous streams gets that only through Prime Video’s Premium tier. Which one actually costs less depends on payment method and whether a Prime membership turns out to be required — both worth confirming before assuming either route is the cheaper one.