Sector Guide · Clinics and Dentists
English Google Maps and AI Checklist for International Clinics and Dentists in Tokyo
When an English speaker in Tokyo needs a doctor or dentist, they often ask Google Maps or an AI assistant for "an English-speaking clinic near" their station. The answer depends on the facts the assistant can find about each clinic.
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers.
Clinic websites, social media and Google profiles fall under Japan's medical advertising rules (医療広告等ガイドライン, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).
For questions about your own pages, ask your local health center (保健所) or a lawyer.
The Short Answer
Make the factual details an English-speaking patient needs easy to find, in English, in your Google profile and on your website:
- Languages spoken and when
- Departments and services
- Insurance and payment
- Hours
- How to book
- How to find the entrance
Keep everything factual.
No testimonials, no before-and-after, no "best", and nothing about treatment results.
Not sure where you stand? Get a free snapshot or see a sample snapshot.
Why the Facts Matter
- In Japanese-language local searches in Google's AI Mode, about 70% of answers referenced Google business cards, and medical searches were among the most card-reliant. Source: GMO TECH, Japan study, August 2026 (vendor study; English not measured).
- In a study of 120 dental practices, when people asked detail questions, AI cited the practice's own website 46% of the time. Source: Courtyard, study in the US and Canada, July 2026.
Key Takeaway
Discovery questions ("which clinic?") lean on Google profiles and directories. Detail questions ("do they take my insurance?") lean on the clinic's own site.
The Facts AI and Patients Look For
| Fact | Where It Should Appear | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Languages Spoken (and Which Days or Staff) | Google profile description and attributes, website | Be specific and accurate: "English consultations on weekdays" is more useful than "English OK" |
| Departments and Services | Google categories and services, website | Use plain names patients search for. Self-pay treatments: website only (see the price rules below) |
| Insurance and Payment | Website, Google profile | Whether Japanese public health insurance is accepted, and payment methods |
| Hours and Holiday Hours | Google profile, website | Must match everywhere |
| How to Book | Google booking link, website | A link that opens a Japanese-only form loses English-speaking patients |
| First Visit | Website | What to bring, how long it takes, where to go |
| Access | Google profile, website | Nearest station exit, floor, a photo of the entrance |
| Prices for Self-Paid Care (自由診療) | Website only | See the price rules below the table |
Prices for Self-Paid Care (自由診療)
- On your website, show the usual treatment, the typical total cost (or a range), the number of visits and the main risks and side effects together, not just a "from" price.
- Keep self-pay treatments off your Google profile (description, services and posts).
- Why: Japan's medical advertising rules allow a self-pay treatment to be named only with its standard cost and a note that public health insurance does not apply.
- Google's profile rules also limit pricing and promotions in listing text.
- Your departments (診療科名) can stay; pick Google categories that match them.
- Never stress price as a deal.
- Confirm with your 保健所 how it treats your profile.
The Rules That Shape Clinic Content
| Rule | Do | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Advertising Rules Apply, in English Toosource 1 | Follow the rules on your clinic website, social media and Google profile: they cover all three. | Treating an ad written only in English as outside the rules: it is covered just like one in Japanese (MHLW Q&A A6-9). |
| The Rules Apply to Agencies Like Ussource 2 | Know that the rules apply to anyone who advertises a clinic, including agencies like us. | — |
| Patients' Accounts Are Not Allowedsource 3 | — | Patients' accounts of their treatment or its effects: they are not allowed. |
| Asking for Positive Reviews Makes Them Advertisingsource 4 | — | Asking patients to post positive reviews, paid or unpaid: those reviews count as the clinic's advertising (Q&A A1-18; see also A2-9, A2-11). |
| Never Ask for Positive Reviewssource 5 | — | Asking for positive reviews, star ratings or particular wording. Offering anything in return, however small: Google's rules ban review rewards. Discounts or gift cards for Google reviews: Tokyo clinics received stealth-marketing orders in 2024 and 2025 for them. |
| Check Before You Ask for Feedback | If you ask for feedback at all, check the wording with your local health center (保健所) or a lawyer first. Only after that check, ask every patient the same neutral way, in the checked wording. | — |
| Review Replies Stay General | Thank people in general terms. | Confirming that someone was a patient, mentioning treatments or describing results, in any reply, even to a complaint. |
| Superlatives Are Not Allowedsource 6 | Back any other factual comparison with evidence you can show on request: the guideline requires it. | Superlatives such as "No.1", "best" or "top in Japan": they are not allowed for clinics, even when true. |
Sources for This Section (6)
- MHLW 医療広告等ガイドライン (last amended 2026-03-30) and its Q&A (revised March 2026). The MHLW case book (6th edition) was issued on 2026-03-30.
- Same MHLW guideline as above, 第2 6(1).
- Same MHLW guideline as above, 第3-1 1(6).
- Same MHLW Q&A as above, A1-18, A2-9, A2-11.
- Consumer Affairs Agency, Japan; Google, contribution policy.
- Same MHLW guideline as above, 第3-1 1(2).
How We Work With Clinics
- What We Do
- We follow Japan's medical advertising rules in everything we draft for you.
- We keep everything factual: hours, languages, services, insurance, booking.
- We work with Manager access to your Google profile, never your password.
- All our AI work is in English.
- The Japanese side is limited to your Maps listing (description, review replies from templates you approve, consistent name, address and phone).
- What We Don't Do
- We don't publish anything until your doctor approves it: every page and every reply template.
- We never write testimonials, patient stories, before-and-after content or result claims.
- We never handle patient information.
See Services for what Step 1 and the monthly retainer include, and the work guarantee.
Common Questions
Can We Show Patient Reviews on Our Website?
Not reviews about treatment or its results.
Copying, quoting or embedding such reviews from Google or review sites on your own website counts as your advertising and is not allowed.
Ask your local health center (保健所) or a lawyer before showing any reviews.
Can You Promise More Patients?
No. Nobody can honestly promise patient numbers or a place in AI answers. We guarantee the work, not the result.
Should We Reply to Negative Reviews?
Usually yes, briefly and politely, without confirming the person was a patient and without discussing treatment. Move the conversation to a private channel.
Do You Write Medical Content?
We draft factual pages about access, languages, booking and payment. Anything medical is written or approved by your doctor.
General information, not legal advice.
See What AI Says About Your Clinic
Send your clinic name and Google Maps link. We ask ChatGPT and Google's AI two questions an English-speaking patient would ask and check your listing. Free, no obligation. More: Who We Help, FAQ, and the full guide.
