The verdict in three sentences
For a licensed fintech or digital asset firm in Tokyo, AI assistants like ChatGPT have become an early filter: a corporate treasurer, an asset manager or a foreign institution asks them which providers are registered, how assets are held and who serves corporate clients, often in Japanese and in English with different results. Firms that are named tend to publish registration details, custody arrangements and service scope clearly and identically in both languages, and are cited by credible third parties. This is measurable with a dated record of answers, but nobody can promise that an assistant will recommend your firm.
The questions Tokyo buyers type into AI assistants
These questions are illustrative of 2026 buyer behavior. Note the language column: Japanese and English questions rarely produce the same list of firms.
| Question asked to an AI assistant | Usual language | Buyer stage |
|---|---|---|
| Which crypto-asset exchange providers registered with the FSA accept corporate accounts? | Japanese | Shortlist |
| Which Japanese firms offer institutional custody of digital assets with segregated cold wallets? | English | Shortlist |
| How can a foreign fund access Japanese yen stablecoin or crypto liquidity through a licensed Tokyo provider? | English | Exploration |
| Which Tokyo fintechs provide payment or remittance APIs for marketplaces, and under which registration? | Japanese | Shortlist |
| What are the trading and withdrawal fees of the main registered exchanges for business users? | Japanese | Comparison |
| Has this provider had a security incident, and how did it respond? | Both | Due diligence |
| Which Tokyo firms support security token offerings for real estate or funds? | Both | Exploration |
| Which providers belong to the industry self-regulatory association? | Japanese | Due diligence |
The last two rows matter: buyers increasingly use assistants for due diligence, not only discovery. An answer that repeats an old incident without your public response, or omits a registration you hold, weighs on the decision before your sales team is even contacted.
What decides whether your firm is named
Across the answers we record, firms that appear share a few traits. Their registration status with the Financial Services Agency is stated with the registration number exactly as held, in Japanese and in English. Their custody and segregation model is described on a dedicated, dated page, not buried in terms of service. Their legal name and brand match across the site, corporate registry information, industry association listings and press. They are mentioned by third parties such as trade media and conference programs. Their pages carry structured data consistent with what is visible, and they are updated after each product or regulatory change.
Firms that are absent or misdescribed usually show one of these failure patterns.
| Pattern observed in answers | Typical cause | Business effect |
|---|---|---|
| Firm missing from Japanese answers, present in English | Japanese site thinner or older than English site | Lost domestic corporate leads |
| Wrong registration status | Old press articles outrank current pages | Compliance concern for the buyer |
| Fees quoted from 2024 | Fee page not dated, PDF only | Mismatched expectations at onboarding |
| Confusion with a similarly named firm | Inconsistent romanization of the company name | Misdirected enquiries |
| Old security incident without context | No public post-incident page | Due diligence slowed or stopped |
| Services listed that you no longer offer | Directory profiles never updated | Unqualified enquiries |
In Japan, crypto-asset exchange services require registration with the FSA under the Payment Services Act, and advertising is subject to strict rules and industry self-regulation; content written to improve AI visibility must remain factual, carry risk warnings and avoid any promise of returns. Any personal data collected through forms or measurement falls under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, supervised by the Personal Information Protection Commission. This is not legal advice: your compliance team should approve every public statement.
What the Tokyo market charges for this work
In broad terms, the work covers an audit of current answers in both languages, correction of your own factual pages, consistency work on third-party profiles and directories, and recurring measurement. Prices below are prudent 2026 ballparks from typical agency quotes, converted at about JPY 150 per USD.
| Item | 2026 ballpark (JPY) | Approx. USD | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic in Japanese and English | 400,000 to 1,000,000 | 2,700 to 6,700 | Depends on the number of questions and competitors |
| Page and content corrections | 800,000 to 2,500,000 | 5,300 to 16,700 | Compliance review time not included |
| Monthly measurement and updates | 300,000 to 1,000,000 | 2,000 to 6,700 | Emerging service, wide spread between providers |
| Native Japanese copy review | +30 % to +50 % on content items | Variable | Third-party translation or legal checks are separate |
| Internal compliance time | 8 to 20 hours per month | Internal cost | Often the true bottleneck |
Kolonell prices this work on quote once the diagnostic has set the question list and the languages.
Reading the record over time
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The measurement is a dated record: the same 20 to 40 questions, in Japanese and English, asked to AI assistants like ChatGPT at fixed intervals, every answer archived. Track the share of answers that name your firm in each language, the accuracy of registration, custody and fees, and the sources cited. Expect noise from month to month; trends over a quarter are what a management committee should read.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Kanda Ledger, a fictional registered custody provider in Tokyo, tracks 10 questions in Japanese and 10 in English, once a month. In month one it is named in 2 of 10 Japanese answers (20 %) and 5 of 10 English answers (50 %), and 3 answers quote its 2024 fee schedule. Its Japanese pages were a shortened translation of the English site. After aligning both versions, dating the fee and custody pages and updating two directory profiles, month five shows 5 of 10 in Japanese (50 %) and 6 of 10 in English (60 %), with no outdated fee. Over the 20 tracked questions, that is a rise from 7 to 11 mentions.
FAQ
Why do Japanese and English answers name different firms?
Assistants draw on different sources depending on the language of the question. A firm with a complete English site and a thin Japanese one can see a gap of 30 points or more between languages.
Can a provider guarantee that we will be recommended?
No serious provider promises a recommendation or a position. What is measurable is the share of answers mentioning you and their accuracy, tracked over 6 to 12 months.
How much should a registered firm budget in 2026?
Typical agency quotes in Tokyo start around JPY 400,000 (about USD 2,700) for a diagnostic, with monthly work from about JPY 300,000. Kolonell works on quote after the diagnostic.
Is this compatible with advertising rules for crypto-assets?
It can be, if every page stays factual and is approved internally. The work is about accuracy and consistency, never about promotional claims or return promises.
How quickly do corrections show up?
Changes on your own pages can appear in some answers within 4 to 8 weeks. Third-party corrections, such as directories and press, often take 3 to 6 months.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what assistants say in Japanese and English about your registration, custody and fees, and show where answers diverge. 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.