The verdict in three sentences
For an international arbitration and corporate law firm in Tokyo, the first shortlist is increasingly drafted by AI assistants like ChatGPT, asked by in-house counsel in English or in Japanese. Firms that are named tend to have consistent, factual public information about their partners, languages, seats and sectors, plus credible third-party mentions; firms that are absent usually have thin or contradictory pages, not weaker practices. The work to close that gap costs, as a 2026 ballpark, USD 3,300 to 10,000 for an audit and is measured with a dated record of answers to the same questions over time.
What buyers now ask AI assistants
The people who instruct an arbitration practice in Tokyo are general counsel of Japanese trading houses and manufacturers with overseas disputes, legal heads of foreign companies operating in Japan, and sometimes states and state-owned entities. Before calling a partner they know, many now ask an assistant to widen or check the list.
| Typical question | Who asks | What the answer must get right |
|---|---|---|
| 'Which Tokyo law firms handle ICC arbitrations in both English and Japanese?' | GC of a Japanese manufacturer | languages of the team, institutional experience stated generally |
| 'Best firms in Tokyo for a construction dispute in Southeast Asia seated in Singapore' | legal head of a contractor | sector experience, seats handled, Singapore links |
| 'Is this firm able to act in a JCAA arbitration and in Japanese courts for enforcement?' | foreign company's counsel | qualifications of Japanese lawyers and foreign-law lawyers |
| 'Who are the partners at this firm and where did they train?' | board member doing a check | partner biographies, admissions, languages |
| 'Tokyo firm for investment treaty claims against a state' | sovereign wealth or energy group | treaty experience described without inventing cases |
| 'Japanese law firm for cross-border M&A with a disputes team' | private equity sponsor | link between corporate and disputes practices |
| 'How much does international arbitration counsel cost in Tokyo?' | CFO preparing a budget | fee approach, not a promise of a figure |
If an assistant cannot find clear facts about your languages, seats or the qualifications of your lawyers, it either leaves you out or fills the gap with something vague or wrong.
Why some firms are named and others are not
| Signal | What assistants seem to rely on | Common gap at Tokyo firms |
|---|---|---|
| Consistent firm facts | the same name, address, practice list and languages everywhere | Japanese and English sites that disagree, old office addresses |
| Partner pages | admissions, languages, seats, sectors, publications | short English bios, Japanese pages far richer, or the reverse |
| Third-party mentions | conference programs, institution panels, articles, directories | mentions exist but use old firm names after a merger |
| Clear practice pages | what the team does, for whom, in which forums | marketing phrases with no facts an assistant can quote |
| Structured data | machine-readable firm and lawyer information | missing or covering the Japanese site only |
| Freshness | recent articles, updated team pages | departed partners still listed, new arrivals missing |
The content must stay within professional rules. In Japan, lawyer advertising is governed by bar association rules, foreign-law lawyers work within their own registration framework, and personal data on the site falls under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information supervised by the Personal Information Protection Commission. Never publish cases, clients, rankings or awards you are not free to cite. This is not legal advice.
What the work covers, and what it costs
In broad terms, AEO work for a firm like yours covers a diagnostic of what assistants currently say, the alignment of public facts across your sites and profiles, rewriting partner and practice pages into factual, quotable text in both languages, structured data, and a measurement routine. It is advisory and editorial work, close to good legal marketing, with a different scoreboard.
| Item | 2026 ballpark in Tokyo | Approx. in USD |
|---|---|---|
| Initial AI visibility audit | JPY 500,000 to 1,500,000 | about USD 3,300 to 10,000 |
| Monthly follow-up and content | JPY 300,000 to 1,000,000 a month | about USD 2,000 to 6,700 a month |
| Partner bio rewrite, English and Japanese | JPY 50,000 to 150,000 per bio | about USD 330 to 1,000 per bio |
| Practice page rewrite | JPY 80,000 to 200,000 per page | about USD 530 to 1,330 per page |
| Website rebuild with multilingual content | wide range, often several million JPY | on quote |
These are prudent ballparks from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages, converted at about 150 JPY per USD (approximate). The market is emerging and quotes vary widely. Kolonell works on quote; it built the website of TR Signing Group, a signing services company in New Jersey, a different trade where precise facts and trust also decide.
How it is measured
Measurement rests on a fixed set of 20 to 40 questions like those above, asked in English and Japanese at a regular interval, every answer saved with its date. Three readings matter to a managing partner: the share of answers that mention the firm, the accuracy of what is said (languages, admissions, seats, partners) and the firms named alongside yours. Enquiries that mention an assistant as their starting point are a useful complement. No serious provider can promise that an assistant will recommend you; the record shows whether the description of your firm is becoming more frequent and more accurate.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example. 'Toranomon Crest Law', a fictional 18-lawyer firm with an arbitration and cross-border corporate practice, builds a set of 30 questions, 15 in English and 15 in Japanese. The first record names the firm in 3 answers out of 30, that is 10%, and two answers wrongly state that none of its lawyers is admitted in New York.
It budgets an audit at USD 6,000 and six months of follow-up at USD 3,000 a month, USD 24,000 in total. If a single mid-size arbitration mandate brings USD 250,000 in fees (assumption), the program costs 9.6% of one mandate. The partners decide on a monthly record and a quarterly review.
FAQ
Do general counsel really use AI assistants to shortlist firms?
Many use them to widen or check a list they already have, especially for unfamiliar seats or sectors. A set of 20 to 40 questions tells you quickly whether your firm appears at that stage.
Should we work in English or Japanese first?
Both, since buyers ask in both. A typical split is half and half, and the answers often differ by language because Japanese and English pages say different things.
Can we mention institutions such as ICC, SIAC or JCAA?
Yes, in general terms that are true for your team, such as experience with arbitrations under those rules. Avoid naming matters or clients unless they are public and you are free to cite them.
How long before answers change?
Descriptions often start to shift within 2 to 6 months of fixing public facts. Being named in open shortlist questions takes longer and is never guaranteed.
What does it cost to start?
An audit is usually the first step, around USD 3,300 to 10,000 on the Tokyo market as a 2026 ballpark. Kolonell prices this on quote after reviewing your current answers.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We ask the questions your clients ask, in English and Japanese, and show you what is said about your partners, languages and seats today. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
