“In a bid to possibly clear inventory, combat slumping sales, or both, SoftBank Mobile’s new ‘iPhone for Everybody Campaign’ is offering customers in Japan a free iPhone 3G with a two-year contract through May,” Zach Spear reports for AppleInsider.

“The 8GB version of Apple’s popular smartphone is now free with a two-year contract that can be tied to one of three promotional plans including basic, premium, or student. The 16GB iPhone, meanwhile, isn’t paid for in full up front. Rather, it costs 480 yen per month ($4.96 in U.S. dollars) for a total price over the two-year contract of ¥ 11,520 ($119.11),” Spear reports.

“SoftBank is adding even further incentive for customers to buy. The company’s typical data plan is being discounted from the normal ¥ 5985 per month to a maximum of ¥ 4410. In U.S. dollars, that’s a cut from $61.88 to $45.59 per month. When the carrier first partnered with Apple to start selling iPhones back in July, the 8GB model was available for the equivalent of $238.21 while its 16GB cousin was $357.32,” Spear reports.

More info in the full article here.