Japan SEO: Google, Yahoo! JAPAN and how Japanese search really works

Who actually runs search in Japan?

Google is the leading search engine in Japan. Statcounter's figures for August 2026 put Google at around 63% of search traffic, with Bing at about 28% and Yahoo! at about 7%. Different measurement methods produce different splits — Bing's share in particular varies widely by source — but the direction is clear: Google sets the rules.

The detail most Western marketers miss is that Yahoo! JAPAN's organic results are powered by Google's search technology, and have been since 2010. Yahoo! JAPAN is a completely separate company from the Yahoo! you know in the UK or US; today it sits within LY Corporation, alongside LINE. It remains one of the most visited sites in the country — but as a portal, not as a rival algorithm.

Same engine, different page

If the rankings are broadly the same, why does Yahoo! JAPAN matter? Because of everything that surrounds them.

So one technical SEO programme covers both engines, but your paid strategy should consider Yahoo! JAPAN separately, especially if your customers are over 40 or you sell high-consideration products such as finance, property or healthcare.

Japanese keywords cannot be translated

This is where most localisation projects go wrong. Japanese is written in three scripts plus the Latin alphabet, and people mix them freely. The same concept can be searched in several ways, each with its own volume and intent:

• Kanji: 化粧水 (lotion/toner)
• Katakana loanword: ローション (“rōshon”) — used, but for slightly different products
• English or brand name: many users type the brand in English, others in katakana
• Hiragana: sometimes used on mobile for speed, or for softer, everyday terms

A translation agency will give you one correct word. Your customers are typing four. Keyword research has to be done natively, in a Japanese database, with a human who can tell which variant matches which intent. Semrush, Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner all support Japan, but the numbers only become useful once someone reads the actual results pages.

How Japanese searchers behave differently

They read — a lot

Japanese users are comfortable with long, information-dense pages. A product page that would feel over-explained in the UK often feels reassuringly thorough in Japan. Specifications, sizes, materials, care instructions, FAQs and comparison tables all earn their place.

They check who you are

Company information (kaisha gaiyō) — registered name, address, representative, founding date, contact details — is a standard trust signal. A foreign brand with no Japanese address or phone number is not disqualified, but you need to make up for it with clear returns, delivery and support information in Japanese.

They look for other people's opinions

Reviews, blog posts, Q&A threads on Yahoo! Chiebukuro, comparison sites such as Kakaku.com and category platforms such as @cosme for beauty all shape decisions. Many searches end on those sites, not yours. Being present and well reviewed there is part of Japan SEO.

A practical Japan SEO checklist

1. Build a Japanese section, not a translated oneUse a /ja/ subdirectory (or a .jp domain if you have a local entity), with native-written Japanese for your key pages.
2. Connect language versions with hreflangSo Google shows Japanese users the Japanese page and UK users the English one.
3. Research keywords in Japanese, by intentMap kanji, katakana and English variants to specific pages. Do not target them all on one page.
4. Check speed from JapanPages hosted only in Europe can be slow in Tokyo. A CDN solves most of it.
5. Remove English leftoversButtons, error messages, image text, PDFs and meta descriptions all need Japanese versions.
6. Earn Japanese links and mentionsJapanese press releases (PR TIMES is the standard wire), trade media, partners, retailers and event listings.
7. Write for AI Overviews as well as blue linksClear answers, structured headings, specific facts and cited sources help you appear in AI summaries, which Google rolled out in Japanese in 2024.

What this looks like in practice

For five years I worked on search and social listening for four global pharmaceutical companies — a sector where every word is regulated. The lesson that transfers to any category is this: search data is where Japanese consumers are most honest. They type what they would never say in a focus group. Reading that data in the original — not through a translation layer — is what turns SEO in Japan from guesswork into insight.

Frequently asked questions