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    • .ryukyu

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .ryukyu is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) associated with the Ryukyu Islands and the Okinawa region of southwestern Japan. The string was proposed as a geoTLD to establish an online presence for Okinawa and to provide a meaningful namespace for organizations, businesses and communities linked to the Ryukyu area. The applicant stated a mission to support development of Okinawa and to extend the global reach and mindshare of the .ryukyu domain.

    History

    • Early interest in the string was announced by more than one Japanese entity during ICANN's new gTLD application period.
    • BusinessRalliart became the sole applicant for both .ryukyu and .okinawa and proceeded with the application.
    • Registry Agreement with ICANN was signed on 9 January 2014 by BusinessRalliart.
    • .ryukyu was delegated to the DNS root zone on 3 April 2014, completing the gTLD application process.
    • During evaluation the ICANN Geographic Names Panel determined that the term did not meet ICANN's definition of a geographic name; this finding did not prevent delegation.

    Usage and Audience

    • Target audiences described by the applicant include:
      • Local businesses and brands in Okinawa and the broader Ryukyu Islands
      • Tourism and hospitality operators (given Okinawa's role as a major tourist destination)
      • Cultural, historical and community organizations tied to Ryukyu heritage
      • Global registrants seeking a regional or thematic name for Okinawa-related services
    • The applicant indicated that second-level registrations under .ryukyu would be open to everyone, making it available to international as well as local registrants.

    Registration Rules

    • Second-level domain registrations under .ryukyu are open to all registrants (no regional residency requirement stated in the application excerpt).
    • The applicant committed to maintaining service levels and user experience for registrants, but specific technical policies, pricing, registration periods, or character rules were not detailed in the provided text.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The applicant positioned .ryukyu as a regional branding tool to increase global visibility and mindshare for Okinawa and related businesses.
    • The TLD is intended to create a meaningful and secure namespace tied to the Ryukyu identity, supporting tourism, culture, and commerce.
    • No information was provided about search-engine treatment or explicit trust signals; the emphasis in the application was on regional branding and development benefits.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Registry operator: BusinessRalliart (applicant and registry operator following ICANN agreement and delegation).
    • BusinessRalliart reported investors in its bids for .ryukyu and .okinawa that include a well-known Okinawan/Japanese rental car service and a restaurant chain.
    • Geographic context: the Ryukyu Islands are a chain in southwestern Japan; the largest island in the chain is Okinawa.

    Operator

    BRregistry, Inc.

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       RYUKYU

organisation: BRregistry, Inc.
address:      Cerulean Tower
address:      26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho
address:      Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8512
address:      Japan

contact:      administrative
name:         Representative Director and CEO
organisation: GMO Registry, Inc.
address:      Cerulean Tower
address:      26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho
address:      Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8512
address:      Japan
phone:        +81-3-5456-1601
fax-no:       +81-3-3780-2611
e-mail:       newgtld@gmoregistry.com

contact:      technical
name:         Director
organisation: GMO Registry, Inc.
address:      Cerulean Tower
address:      26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho
address:      Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8512
address:      Japan
phone:        +81-3-5456-1601
fax-no:       +81-3-3780-2611
e-mail:       newgtld@gmoregistry.com

nserver:      A.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.192.4
nserver:      B.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.194.4
nserver:      K.GMOREGISTRY.NET 37.209.196.4
nserver:      L.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:4:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.198.4
ds-rdata:     52505 8 2 a19f9645f1832c3a1550f695dba8f68e26daa32be47967f71b29a4a865d834b8

whois:        whois.nic.ryukyu

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information:
remarks:      http://www.gmo-registry.com/en/

created:      2014-03-13
changed:      2019-08-20
source:       IANA

    Registrars