PR TIMES is Japan's largest press-release platform, and it's the first thing most foreign marketers search for when they start planning a Japan launch. The short answer to the question in the title: you can register as a foreign company, but you cannot publish a release in English alone. Here's exactly what that means in practice.
What works for foreign companies
- Overseas registration is possible. You do not need a Japanese entity to register. Some setups accept an overseas address with postal code 0000000 and an English company name — you can sign up and publish from outside Japan.
- Distribution is affordable. Fees start around ¥30,000 + tax per release. That's the platform cost alone, separate from writing and setup.
- Releases publish under your own brand. Once registered, your company — not an agency — is the named publisher of record on each release.
What doesn't work
- The interface is Japanese. There is no English dashboard. Every step of registration and submission happens in Japanese.
- The release body must be Japanese. An English version can be attached alongside the Japanese release for reference, but English text cannot stand alone as the distributed release.
- Machine translation gets skipped. Japanese journalists read dozens of releases a day and recognize translated phrasing immediately. A release that reads foreign is filtered out before anyone reads past the headline — the ¥30,000 distribution fee gets spent for nothing.
What happens after you publish
Releases distributed through Japan's largest press network are automatically republished by partner Japanese media sites — typically dozens of republications per release. Beyond that automatic syndication, some services add optional direct delivery, sending your release to a curated list of Japanese media outlets matched to your story. Each republication places your brand name, in Japanese, on an established Japanese media domain — which compounds as SEO over time. None of this is the same as editorial coverage: pickup by a journalist for an actual story is always their decision, and no honest service can promise it. Automatic republication and editorial pickup are two different things — keep them separate when you evaluate any provider's claims.
Your three realistic options
| Option | Typical cost | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire a bilingual employee | Full-time salary + benefits | Companies with sustained, ongoing Japan news flow | Slow to hire; one person is a single point of failure; still needs platform fees on top |
| Retain a Japanese agency | ¥300,000–1,000,000+ / month, often 6–12 month minimum | Established Japan subsidiaries with regular releases | Overkill for a first release; most agencies work primarily in Japanese; long onboarding |
| Fixed-price service (Japan PR Launchpad) | €980 / $1,100 per release all-in (incl. platform fee) + one-time €290 / $330 setup | Foreign brands testing or entering the Japanese market | Scope is fixed per release; frequent, ongoing programs eventually justify a retainer instead |
Japan PR Launchpad distributes each release through Japan's largest press network, with 20+ media republications guaranteed or the release fee is refunded in full. Releases are rewritten natively — not translated — by one of only 9 PR TIMES-certified Press Release Evangelists in Japan, a certification our director, Karen Hashimoto, holds.
Get your release written and distributed
Tell us what you're announcing — you'll have a natively written release, distribution, and a guaranteed 20+ media republications, or your fee back.
Submit your release →Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign company register on PR TIMES?
Yes. Foreign companies can register on Japan's largest press-release platform without a Japanese entity — some setups allow an overseas address with postal code 0000000 and an English company name. No Japanese incorporation is required to distribute a release.
Can I publish a release in English on PR TIMES?
Not on its own. The platform interface and the release body must be written in Japanese. An English version can be attached alongside the Japanese release, but English text alone cannot be distributed, and machine-translated Japanese is easy for journalists to spot and is routinely skipped.
How much does PR TIMES cost?
Distribution alone starts around ¥30,000 (about $200/€190) plus tax per release on Japan's largest platform. That figure covers distribution only — native Japanese writing, account setup for an overseas company, and reporting are separate and typically add up to a few hundred euros more when handled professionally.
Do I need a Japanese bank account or entity?
No entity is required to distribute a press release in Japan. Payment and account setup details vary by provider and by how you register, but the core requirement is a properly written Japanese release — not a Japanese company or bank account. Services that handle this for foreign companies typically manage setup and payment on your behalf.
What is a PR TIMES-certified Press Release Evangelist?
It's a certification awarded to a small number of professional press-release writers in Japan — currently held by only 9 people nationwide. It recognizes verified expertise in writing releases that meet the platform's editorial and format standards. Japan PR Launchpad's director, Karen Hashimoto, holds this certification.