Search Engine Landscape in Japan
January 13, 2014China’s E-Commerce Summary 2013
February 28, 2014
On January 16th, Google Registry opened “Hajimeyou.Minnna” to begin offering Japanese gTLD “.Minna” (in Japanese characters) domain. “Minna” means “everyone” in Japanese. “Internet is for everyone. We think the word is perfect one to start the Japanese gTLD domain offering.” said Google.
The domain can be registered via several domain registration service companies, which are listed on the website. The registration is offered in 3 stages:
- December 10, 2013 – February 14, 2014: The registration is limited to persons/companies who have the copy right for word/phrase that matches domain.
- January 16 – February 14, 2014: Pre-registration is open for everyone. If multiple requests are submitted for the same domain, it would go on auction.
- After February 21, 2014: The registration is open for everyone. The domains are available on the first-come, first-served bases.
If you wish to register a domain using all Japanese characters, go to Interlink Co’s registration page (www.gonbei.jp/tld/minna.html).
Motoko Hunt
Since Motoko established AJPR in 1998, she has been working with some of the world's well-known corporations, helping them to enter Japanese market using the Internet. She is a frequent speaker at the digital marketing conferences around the world.
Her articles are published at several online media sites including Search Engine Journal, ClickZ, and MultilingualSearch. She received the Best Consultant Award from the US Search Awards in 2014.