The verdict in three sentences
An executive search firm in Tokyo serves two audiences at once: clients (boards, CEOs, HR heads of Japanese and foreign companies) who now ask AI assistants like ChatGPT which firms handle a given practice in Japan, and candidates who still mostly use Google to find mandates and submit a CV. That split gives a clear rule: SEO pays first on the candidate side and on the firm's name, while AEO/GEO matters most on the client side, where being absent or misdescribed in an AI shortlist costs searches you never hear about. Measure the first with Search Console and applications, the second with a dated record of AI answers in Japanese and English, and start with a diagnostic before signing any monthly retainer.
Two audiences, two kinds of questions
| Who is asking | On Google | To an AI assistant | What your public pages must show |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR head of a foreign subsidiary in Tokyo | Firm name + "executive search" | "Which executive search firms in Tokyo handle bilingual CFO searches?" | Practice areas, partners, languages, search process |
| Japanese listed company board member | Firm name in Japanese | "Who can find an independent outside director in Japan?" | Board practice, confidentiality approach |
| Private equity operating partner | "portfolio CEO search Japan" | "Which search firms work with PE funds in Japan?" | Sector depth, typical mandates described generically |
| Senior candidate in finance | "CFO jobs Tokyo bilingual" | "Which headhunters in Tokyo place finance executives?" | Mandates page, CV submission, data retention policy |
| Life sciences candidate | "medical affairs director Tokyo" | "Which recruiters cover pharma leadership roles in Japan?" | Practice page, consultant profiles |
| Journalist or analyst | Firm name + "partner" | "Who founded this firm and what is its focus?" | Founder bios, dated news |
Two things stand out. Clients rarely type long queries into Google, they type your name to check you. Candidates do the opposite and search by role, sector and language. Never publish placements or client names that have not been cleared with the parties concerned.
What each channel buys you in Tokyo
| Point of comparison | SEO | AEO/GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Main payoff | Candidate traffic on role and sector queries, brand checks by clients | Presence and accuracy in AI answers to client questions about search firms in Japan |
| Typical delay | 3 to 6 months on role queries, faster on the brand | Weeks to several months, depending on how sources evolve, with no guarantee |
| Market budget (2026 ballpark, Tokyo agency quotes) | Audit JPY 300,000 to 1,000,000 (about USD 2,000 to 6,700), retainer JPY 200,000 to 800,000 a month (about USD 1,300 to 5,300) | Diagnostic JPY 400,000 to 1,200,000 (about USD 2,700 to 8,000), monitoring JPY 150,000 to 600,000 a month (about USD 1,000 to 4,000) |
| Metrics | Search Console clicks, CV submissions, brand impressions | Mention rate in the record, accuracy of practice areas and partners, sources cited |
| Language question | Japanese and English pages behave as separate markets | Answers can differ sharply between a question in Japanese and the same one in English |
| Typical risk | Thin mandate pages that expire and leave dead URLs | Answers attributing a former partner or an old practice to the firm |
The JPY figures come from typical agency quotes and public rate pages, converted approximately into USD. No serious provider promises a ranking, and nobody can promise an AI recommendation.
Matching the spend to your firm's position
| Firm profile | Put the first budget into | Hold back on |
|---|---|---|
| New boutique spun out of a global firm | Brand SEO, partner profiles in both languages | Any monitoring retainer before a first record |
| Established firm with strong word of mouth | AEO diagnostic on client questions | Volume content for candidates |
| Firm that changed practices or lost partners | AEO record, then correction of public facts | New campaigns |
| Firm handling sensitive board mandates | A short set of approved factual pages | Publishing mandate details |
| Budget under USD 10,000 a year | Technical SEO and one annual AI answer record | Monthly retainers on either side |
| Firm growing candidate volume | Candidate SEO, mandate pages with clean expiry rules | Client-side AEO until the brand pages are clear |
What a diagnostic looks at, and how progress is recorded
A diagnostic generally reviews the public site (practice pages, partner profiles, structured data, Japanese and English consistency), the third-party sources that describe the firm (directories, press, professional profiles), a first record of AI answers to client and candidate questions, and a short list of gaps ranked by business impact. It is a decision tool: it tells you whether AEO deserves ongoing budget or whether fixing the site is enough for now.
Progress is then recorded the same way each time: identical questions, identical languages, fixed dates, answers archived, presence and accuracy scored. On the candidate side, CV handling must follow the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), supervised by the Personal Information Protection Commission: collect only what the search needs, state how long you keep it, and make the retention policy easy to find. Fee-charging placement in Japan is also a licensed activity, which is one more fact AI answers should get right about your firm. This is not legal advice.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Marunouchi Search Partners, a fictional Tokyo firm with 7 consultants in financial services and life sciences. Annual visibility budget: JPY 3,600,000, about USD 24,000 (assumption).
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
- Candidate SEO and partner pages in Japanese and English: JPY 1,200,000.
- AEO diagnostic: JPY 900,000.
- Four quarterly records at JPY 225,000: JPY 900,000.
- Practice area content: JPY 600,000.
- Total: 1,200,000 + 900,000 + 900,000 + 600,000 = JPY 3,600,000.
Each record holds 25 client questions and 15 candidate questions, asked in both languages, so 80 answers per record and 320 over the year. If the firm appears in 8 of 50 client answers at the first record (16%), the following records show whether that share moves, with no target promised in advance.
FAQ
Should a Tokyo search firm favor SEO or AEO?
It depends on the audience: SEO usually pays first on the candidate side, AEO on the client side. A firm with JPY 3 to 4 million a year can often fund both at a modest level.
What does an AEO diagnostic cost in Tokyo in 2026?
As a 2026 ballpark, JPY 400,000 to 1,200,000, about USD 2,700 to 8,000, depending on the number of questions and languages. At Kolonell, this work is on quote.
Do we need separate questions in Japanese and English?
Yes. The same question can bring different firms in each language, so most records keep 2 parallel lists of 30 to 50 questions.
Can we list our placements to appear in AI answers?
Only with the consent of the client and the candidate, and many mandates stay confidential. Describing 4 to 6 practice areas precisely is usually safer and just as useful.
Will an AI assistant recommend our firm after the work?
Nobody can guarantee that. The work makes public facts clearer and more consistent, and a record every 3 months shows whether answers change.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A diagnostic in Japanese and English on your client and candidate questions shows where your firm stands 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.
