AI SEO and AEO in Japan: how customers find businesses
By the SEOCells team, OmCells R&D Labs LLP · Updated
Being found in Japan requires Japanese-language pages written for Japanese searchers, a complete Google Business Profile, and presence on local platforms such as Tabelog or Hot Pepper. Google and Yahoo! JAPAN, whose results are powered by Google, together dominate search, so Google SEO covers both.
Japan at a glance
- Languages
- Japanese
- Country domain
- .jp
- Currency for prices
- Japanese yen (JPY)
- hreflang for English pages
en-JP
Which search engines do people in Japan use?
Google and Yahoo! JAPAN (results powered by Google's search technology) together dominate; Bing has a smaller share.
Which AI assistants answer their questions?
ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Claude and Grok are all used, in English and local languages. Japanese-language answers draw heavily on Japanese sources.
What is different about search in Japan?
An English page will rarely be shown to Japanese searchers: Google decides language from visible content. Japanese pages should be written natively, not machine-translated, and should use the vocabulary Japanese customers use, which often differs from a word-for-word rendering of English keywords.
Which listings and review sites should be accurate?
Keep your business name, address, phone, hours and description identical on each of these, and on your website and its structured data:
- Google Business Profile
- Yahoo! JAPAN local listings
- Tabelog (restaurants)
- Hot Pepper (restaurants and beauty)
- Rakuten and Amazon Japan (online sellers)
What do people search for?
Examples of the searches and questions that local pages should answer directly (illustrations, not measured volumes):
- “渋谷 歯医者 土曜”
- “SEO 対策 会社 東京”
- “AI検索 最適化”
- “ホームページ制作 大阪 料金”
Which privacy law governs analytics in Japan?
The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) governs personal information, including transfers abroad. Measuring visits from AI assistants (see our analytics guide) must respect it. This is general information, not legal advice.
How does SEOCells work for businesses in Japan?
Start with the free SEO Score and AEO Score for any page. When you run an SEO Report, choose Japan (JP) in “Market options”, with the language your customers search in, and SEOCells compares your page with the pages that rank in that market. Prices are in credits (1 credit = US$0.01) and shown before each run. If you would rather have the work done, a SEOCells consultant can take it on.
Questions answered
How do I get my business found on Google and in AI answers in Japan?
Being found in Japan requires Japanese-language pages written for Japanese searchers, a complete Google Business Profile, and presence on local platforms such as Tabelog or Hot Pepper. Google and Yahoo! JAPAN, whose results are powered by Google, together dominate search, so Google SEO covers both.
Which AI assistants do people in Japan use?
ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Claude and Grok are all used, in English and local languages. Japanese-language answers draw heavily on Japanese sources.
Which privacy law applies to website analytics and contact forms in Japan?
The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) governs personal information, including transfers abroad. This is general information, not legal advice.
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