There’s a discussion about how the hosting business is saturated in Japan, but is that really the case? By examining the domain registration numbers, we can determine whether this trend is true. If the market is saturated, the new registration demand numbers should decrease and the domain registration numbers should plateau. Below are the number of domain registrations in Japan from 2001 to 2024:

 

- 2001: 40,359  
- 2002: 33,189  
- 2003: 36,949  
- 2004: 47,393  
- 2005: 78,345  
- 2006: 65,811  
- 2007: 66,387  
- 2008: 71,028  
- 2009: 81,163  
- 2010: 88,812  
- 2011: 102,457  
- 2012: 121,576  
- 2013: 140,112  
- 2014: 158,479  
- 2015: 157,361  
- 2016: 178,800  
- 2017: 200,264  
- 2018: 230,311  
- 2019: 267,988  
- 2020: 357,150  
- 2021: 488,556  
- 2022: 570,736  
- 2023: 1,398,795  
- 2024: 2,629,408  

 

These figures clearly show the growth of domain registrations, indicating that the demand for online presence in Japan is still expanding. This data shows that the demand is not plateauing; on the contrary, they’re rapidly growing. Especially since 2020. The increase in new registrations suggests that many businesses and individuals are still seeking an online presence.

 

So, where are they hosting these registered domains?
The domain registration situation in Japan is as follows:

 

- Total number of Top-Level Domains (TLDs): 710  
- Total number of registered domains: 7,712,091  
- Global market share: 1.02%

 

This data reflects the scale of domains managed and operated within Japan and its international position.

 

The breakdown of domain registrations in Japan is as follows:

 

- .com: 48.74%  
- .xyz: 7.68%  
- .net: 7.32%  
- .lol: 6.08%  
- .sbs: 5.69%  
- .cfd: 3.91%  
- .site: 3.21%  
- .info: 1.88%  
- .jp: 1.67%  
- .tokyo: 1.38%  
- Other: 12.44%

 

These numbers show the trends in the use of TLDs in Japan, with .com holding the dominant share.