Article:
How Google Took Japan in 2001 [japantoday.com] In 2001, Google chose Tokyo for its first international office, entering a market where Yahoo! Japan was the undisputed king.
The article highlights how Google’s success in Japan wasn’t built on PCs, but on mobile dominance. At the time, Japan was years ahead of the West in mobile internet adoption through services like NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode. By prioritizing search for "keitai" (mobile phones) and partnering with major carriers, Google managed to bypass the PC-centric competition.
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