Japanese applications for new gTLDs rise 18% while global total falls
in plain words
Companies can ask ICANN for their own web endings, such as .brand names. Interlink looked at the newest round of these requests. Japan asked for more of them than in 2012, while the rest of the world asked for fewer.
Full summary
Interlink, a Japanese internet company, compared the new generic top-level domain applications from Japan in ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN's 2012 round The first round of ICANN's New gTLD Program, which opened for applications in 2012. Full definition of 2012 round with those in the 2026 round. ICANN published the 2026 application data at its Reveal Day The day ICANN publishes who applied for which new gTLD strings. Full definition of Reveal Day on October 7, 2026.
In the 2012 round, applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant worldwide filed 1,930 applications, 71 of them from Japan. In the 2026 round, the worldwide total was 1,615, about 16% lower, while Japanese applications rose to 84, about 18% higher. Interlink says Japan moved against the global trend.
Of the 84 Japanese applications, 61 (72.6%) are .brand A top-level domain that a company runs for its own trademark. Full definition of .brand, 2 (2.4%) are community TLD A gTLD run for a defined community, with registration limits. Full definition of community TLD, and 21 (25.0%) are open general-use TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition of TLD. Interlink says 17 of those 21 general-use strings face contention, meaning other applicants filed the same string. Applicants for the general-use strings are concentrated in three companies: XRegistry Incorporated with 14, XServer Cloud Incorporated with 5, and Interlink's subsidiary ISII with 2. Interlink notes that ICANN plans to publish updated contention sets on November 17.
The company also reviewed brand TLD cases. NTT DOCOMO applied again for .docomo in the 2026 round after withdrawing its 2012 application. Sumitomo Rubber Industries applied for .dunlop in 2026, after Goodyear, which had operated the 2012 .dunlop registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition of registry, terminated its registry agreement in 2025.
Interlink says 124 of the 494 brand TLD agreements from the 2012 round, about 25%, have since ended. It cites an application fee of 185,000 dollars in 2012 and an annual ICANN fixed fee of 25,000 dollars.