.jp – country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD) for Japan

About .JP Domain

.JP is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Japan. It is administered by the Japan Registry Service.

At the establishment of the .jp domain the domain was administered by the JPNIC, as part of their role as an overseeing technical body for the Internet in Japan. However, due to the growing importance and size of the .jp registry, it was decided at the 11th General Meeting of JPNIC in December 2000 to create a new corporation that would manage the .jp domain. Thus, the Japan Registry Service was created, and on June 30, 2003, officially assumed the duties of the .jp registry.

.jp registrations are only allowed if the registrant has a physical address in Japan. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and domain names with Japanese characters (kanji, hiragana or katakana) may be registered at the second level.

Second-level domains

While any party with a Japanese mailing address can get a second-level domain (example.jp) there are several restricted-use second-level domains, listed below.

• ac.jp: higher level academic institutions, such as universities
• ad.jp: JPNIC members
• co.jp: most forms of incorporated companies, including foreign companies registered in Japan
• ed.jp: educational institutions for individuals under 18
• go.jp: Japanese government ministries and their endeavours
• gr.jp: groups of two or more people, or groups of registered companies
• lg.jp: local government authorities
• ne.jp: network service providers
• or.jp: registered organizations and non-profit organizations