Most teams treat the App Store description as the place where the marketing copy goes after the screenshots. For Japan, this is a mistake — the description does specific work, in a specific structure, that Japanese users learn to read across hundreds of apps. This article covers what that structure is and how to write inside it.
For broader context, see the Japanese ASO complete guide.
What the Description Actually Does
In Japan, the description does three jobs:
- Confirms the user's pre-existing intent. Most installs come from search; the user is checking that this app does what they think.
- Provides trust signals beyond the screenshots. Numbers, partnerships, press logos.
- Surfaces less-prominent features for users who scroll. Power-user features get visibility here that they don't get in the screenshot carousel.
It is not the place to tell your founder's story or unveil a manifesto. Japanese users mostly skip those.
The Recommended Structure
A description that performs in the JP store typically follows this structure:
[1] One-line value proposition (30–40 chars)
[2] Three to five bullet features
・Feature 1
・Feature 2
・Feature 3
[3] Trust signal block
- User count, ranking, awards, press
[4] こんな方におすすめ (Use cases)
- 〇〇したい方
- 〇〇でお悩みの方
[5] 主な機能 (Detailed feature list)
・Detailed feature 1
・Detailed feature 2
...
[6] お知らせ・サポート情報
- Privacy policy link
- Terms of service link
- Support contact
[7] 利用規約・プライバシーポリシー
- Full URLs
Each section serves a different reading mode (skim, deep-read, compliance-check). Don't compress them.
The First Three Lines
The first ~120 Japanese characters appear in the App Store before the user taps "more." These three lines are the highest-leverage prose in the description.
Pattern 1: Restate the value prop
写真編集を、もっとシンプルに。 ワンタップで、プロ品質の仕上がりを実現。 100万人が使う写真編集アプリ。
Pattern 2: Lead with the trust signal
累計100万ダウンロード突破！ シンプル操作で続けられる、人気の家計簿アプリ。 銀行・カード連携で、自動で収支を管理。
Pattern 3: Lead with the problem
「家計を見直したいけど、続かない」とお悩みの方へ。 入力は1日1分。自動連携で、節約のヒントが見える。 100万人が使う、家計簿アプリの決定版。
All three patterns work. The choice depends on whether your strongest asset is your value proposition, your trust signals, or your problem articulation.
What not to put in the first three lines
- Brand history. "2020年に創業した私たちは..." — Japanese users don't care at this stage.
- Hyperbolic marketing. "革命的な" "驚くほど" "感動の" — reads as desperate.
- Internal jargon. "AI駆動の" "次世代の" — dilute, not differentiate.
- Long sentences. Anything over 30 characters in the first line gets truncated visually.
Bullet Points: 「・」 Conventions
Japanese app descriptions use 「・」 (full-width middle dot) as the bullet marker. Not -, not *, not •.
Bullet patterns:
- Noun phrases: 「・自動で支出を分類」
- Short verb phrases: 「・カメラで撮るだけで記録」
- Benefit-led: 「・節約のヒントが毎日届く」
Each bullet should:
- Be 8–20 Japanese characters.
- Not end with 「。」 (bullets typically don't take sentence-ending punctuation).
- Not all start with the same word (avoid 「・自動で〜」「・自動で〜」「・自動で〜」 in a row — vary).
The 「こんな方におすすめ」 Section
This use-case-framing section is a Japanese app description convention. It explicitly addresses the reader and lists the kinds of people the app fits.
こんな方におすすめ
・家計を見える化したい方
・節約の習慣をつけたい方
・複数の銀行口座をまとめて管理したい方
・夫婦で家計を共有したい方
・毎日の支出を記録するのが面倒な方
Each line ends with 「方」 (a respectful way to say "person/people"). The section maps the app to specific user identities, which helps the user self-identify and commit.
The 「主な機能」 Section
The detailed feature list. This is where power users skim to confirm specific features exist.
主な機能
・銀行・クレジットカード自動連携
・カテゴリ別の支出分析
・月間・年間レポート
・予算設定と通知
・領収書のレシート読み取り
・夫婦・家族での家計共有
・データのエクスポート（CSV）
・Face ID / Touch ID によるセキュリティ
10–20 bullets is normal. Group related features but don't add subheaders inside this section unless the app is complex.
Trust Signals: What to Include
Honest, verifiable trust signals work. Inflated ones backfire — Japanese users check.
| Type | Example phrasing |
|---|---|
| Download count | 「累計100万ダウンロード突破」 |
| User count | 「ユーザー数100万人を突破」 |
| Active count | 「月間アクティブユーザー〇〇万人」 |
| Ranking | 「家計簿カテゴリで1位獲得」 |
| Award | 「App Store Editors' Choice 受賞」 |
| Press | 「日経新聞、ITmedia、TechCrunch などで紹介」 |
| Compliance | 「プライバシーマーク取得」「ISO27001認証」 |
| Partnership | 「〇〇銀行との公式提携」 |
Place these in their own block after the bullet features, before the use-case section.
Frequency of Apologies and Disclaimers
Japanese users expect more disclaimers than Western users — but in the right places. Reasonable inclusions:
- Subscription pricing disclosure. Required by Apple, but make it explicit and natural in Japanese.
- Auto-renewal note. The standard Japanese phrasing is 「自動更新サブスクリプション」.
- Privacy policy link with explicit phrasing. "個人情報の取り扱いについて" is more natural than just "プライバシーポリシー."
- Support contact. A Japanese-language support email or form link, near the bottom.
Don't add disclaimers about things that aren't risks. Avoid 「効果には個人差があります」 if your app isn't a health/fitness/finance app where outcomes vary.
Frequency of CTA
Japanese descriptions have CTAs but they're soft. A US description might end with "Download now and start tracking!" A Japanese description ends with:
今すぐダウンロードして、家計管理を始めましょう。
or even more restrained:
ぜひお試しください。
Aggressive English CTAs ("Don't wait!" "Start today!") don't translate well. Soften.
Length
The Japanese App Store description has a 4,000-character limit. You don't need to fill it, but most performant apps use 1,500–3,000 characters. Under 800 reads as thin; over 3,500 reads as bloated.
Google Play has a similar 4,000-character limit and rewards filling it more aggressively (the full description is indexed). For Play Store, lean toward 3,000–4,000 characters.
A Worked Example: Same App, Three Versions
App: a habit tracker.
Version A: Direct translation from English (~500 chars)
ハビトリー — 毎日続ける習慣トラッカー
ハビトリーは、新しい習慣を作り、続けるためのアプリです。
機能：
- 習慣を設定する
- 毎日の進捗を記録する
- ストリークを保つ
- リマインダーを受け取る
今すぐ始めましょう！
This is the version most teams ship after a translation pass. It's correct, readable, and forgettable. JP users skim it and move on.
Version B: Restructured for JP convention (~1,500 chars)
習慣を、続けやすく。
1日3分のチェックインで、目標達成までの道のりを見える化。
100万人が使う、人気の習慣トラッカーアプリ。
・シンプル操作で、続けられる
・カレンダーで進捗が一目でわかる
・通知で習慣を忘れない
・無料で使える主要機能
こんな方におすすめ
・新しい習慣を身につけたい方
・三日坊主で悩んでいる方
・毎日のルーティンを管理したい方
・仕事や勉強の習慣化を目指す方
主な機能
・カスタマイズ可能な習慣リスト
・週間・月間の進捗グラフ
・連続記録（ストリーク）の可視化
・カスタマイズ可能なリマインダー
・データのエクスポート
・Apple Watch / Wear OS 対応
「続かない」を、「続けられる」に。
習慣化のための機能を、シンプルにまとめました。
App Storeカテゴリで上位ランクイン中。
ぜひ一度お試しください。
利用規約: https://example.com/terms
プライバシーポリシー: https://example.com/privacy
お問い合わせ: support@example.com
This version follows the JP convention end-to-end. It's longer, denser, and more closely matches what shipping JP apps look like.
Which one converts?
Version B. We've measured this comparison across multiple categories — properly structured JP descriptions consistently outperform translated US descriptions by 10–20% on conversion rate.
A Self-Check Before Submitting
- First three lines stand alone as a value prop + trust line.
- Bullets use 「・」 not
-or*. - こんな方におすすめ section exists.
- 主な機能 section exists with 10+ bullets.
- At least one trust signal is present and verifiable.
- Privacy policy and terms URLs are JP-language pages.
- Support contact is provided.
- No untranslated English (other than brand names).
- Punctuation is full-width 「。」「、」「！」「？」.
- No 「あなた」 / 「あなたの」 unless absolutely necessary.
Where to Go Next
- Localizing Your App Name and Subtitle for the Japanese App Store
- Designing App Store Screenshots for the Japanese Market
- Japanese ASO Keyword Research
- How to Make App Copy Sound Native in Japanese
We write Japanese App Store descriptions as part of every JP listing engagement, including the conversion-tested structure above. Contact us for a description rewrite.