How to get a domain for your business website in Japan

Why a business website needs its own domain

A custom domain is a name only you can use, such as "example.co.jp" or "example.com". Most platforms – BASE, Shopify, website builders – start you on their own address, like "yourshop.base.shop" or "yourshop.myshopify.com". That is fine for a quick start, but if you plan to grow the brand, move to your own domain early.

• Trust: a site and email address that match your company name look credible to new customers and partners
• Portability: you can change hosting or CMS and keep the same address
• Search value builds up: links and search signals accumulate on a domain you own
• Proper email: addresses like info@yourcompany for each person or role

If a platform address goes on your cards and ads first, switching later means reprinting and re-announcing. The best moment to register is before launch, or at least before you start spending on marketing.

Choosing the name and the ending: .co.jp, .jp or .com

A domain is hard to change once it is in use, so shortlist a few options and compare them before you buy. The ending decides who can register it and how it comes across.

• .co.jp: only for companies registered in Japan, one per organization. Instantly signals a Japanese corporation
• .jp: for individuals and organizations with an address in Japan. Works well for sole proprietors and shops
• .com: no restrictions, familiar to overseas partners and English-speaking visitors
• The name itself: short, easy to spell when said over the phone, no hyphens or look-alike characters (l and 1, o and 0)
• Trademarks: check that the name does not clash with another company's trademark or a similar brand

The safe default is your company or brand name in plain letters. A registered company in Japan can make .co.jp the main domain and also register the same name as .com, which protects against typos and look-alike sites. If your business is set up outside Japan, .com is usually the simplest choice.

How to register a domain in five steps

Registration takes a few minutes online. What matters is getting the owner details and renewals right from the start.

• Check availability: search for the name at a domain registrar
• Pick a registrar: compare renewal prices from year two, the admin panel and how easy DNS settings are
• Register in your own name: make your company or yourself the registrant, with a contact email you will keep long term
• Turn on auto-renew: and keep the payment card up to date so the domain never lapses
• Store the login safely: keep the registrar login and two-factor setup somewhere the business can access, even if the person in charge changes

Prices vary by ending and registrar. Typically .com and .jp cost a few thousand yen a year, with .co.jp a little higher. First-year discounts are common, so check the renewal price before you buy. An expired domain can be picked up by someone else, and getting it back is hard.

Connecting the domain to your website and email

A new domain does nothing on its own. DNS records tell the internet where to send visitors and where to deliver email.

• Website: A or CNAME records point the domain to your server or platform. Shopify and BASE both have built-in custom domain setup guides
• SSL: confirm a certificate is issued so the site loads on https://
• Email: MX records point mail to your provider, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or your host's mail service
• Deliverability: set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your messages stay out of spam folders
• www or not: choose one version as the main address and redirect the other

When the website and email run on different services, changing one often breaks the other. Save a copy of your current DNS records before any change. For hosting options, see choosing website hosting, and for the full path to going live, see launching a business website.

If an agency registers the domain, check whose name it is in

Many agencies offer to register the domain as part of a website project. Letting them handle the paperwork is fine – just confirm the details below.

• The registrant is your company or you personally
• You have your own login to the registrar account
• You know who receives and pays the renewal invoices
• Your contract says the domain is handed over if you part ways

A domain registered in the agency's name can be hard to take with you when the contract ends, and you risk losing an address you have used for years. If yours is already in someone else's name, or you want to change registrar, our guide to domain transfer walks through the steps.

How UNANOBO handles domains: always in your name

At UNANOBO, the domain, hosting, analytics and ad accounts stay in your name. If you do not have a domain yet, we help you shortlist names and guide you through registration by message. If you already have one, we review the existing DNS first so your current site and email keep running during the switch.

Before you commit, we build a free demo site around your brand. The process is free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, so you have one contact from the first demo to growth after launch, in Japanese or English.