Ask Jeeves Goes to Japan

Ask Jeeves Goes to Japan

Ask Jeeves today announced the launch of a beta version of Ask.jp, a new Japanese language Web search engine. Based on the company’s flagship Ask Jeeves search destination, Ask.jp is developed by Ask Jeeves Japan Co., Ltd, a joint venture between Ask Jeeves, Inc. and Japan-based transcosmos inc.

Of the major search and portal sites in Japan, only Google and Yahoo! Japan provide their own search technologies. With today’s launch of Ask.jp, Japanese Web users now have three options for world-class search technology.

“We are excited to make the beta version of Ask.jp available to the general public for the very first time,” said Hirotaka Shiokawa, president and CEO of Ask Jeeves Japan. “End-user feedback will enable us to optimize the search experience and deliver the best possible product for the official launch of Ask.jp.”

Ask.jp’s Japanese-only index contains over 150 million Web pages at this time, and new pages will be continually added leading up to the formal launch. In addition, other improvements and new features will be added regularly.