ABOUT

A domain name is used to identify an IP Address for a specific location on the Internet. Domain names provide an easy way to reach the exact location of a website without having to remember the IP Address. A domain name consists of a top-level domain (TLD) — the part of the domain name located to the right of the dot (“.”), for example, “.com”) — and a second-level domain (“example”.com). Until recently, excluding country TLDs like “.us” and “.jp”, only 22 of these generic Top Level Domains existed.

In 2011 a big revolution in the Internet’s namespace began with the formal approval of the New gTLD Program. This program allowed companies from all over the world to apply for almost any string imaginable. In total there were 1,930 applications filed, including 66 geographic names, from all over the world.

.osaka is a TLD specifically developed for the Osaka Community (businesses, organizations, institutions, residents). Unlike traditional web addresses like .com, .net, or .jp, “.osaka” is a specific, meaningful, and memorable domain that is easily understood and developed specifically as an exclusive online identity and platform for the Osaka Community.

Osaka Registry Co., Ltd. applied to manage and maintain the .osaka (dot-Osaka) namespace in 2012 with a letter of Support/Non-Objection from the Osaka Prefectural Government. The application was subsequently approved by ICANN in 2013, and .osaka was delegated to the Internet’s root zone in December 2014. After several years of planning, .osaka was launched in February 2015.

Osaka is a historically significant geographic location famous for culture, arts, food, and people. Osaka is the second largest economy in Japan today, and as home to some of Japan's largest corporations, it is an important center for business in Japan. Owning and using your own .osaka domain or email address shows that you or your company identify yourself as Osakan, or part of the Osaka Community.