Which cooking essentials brands do AI assistants recommend in Japan? Q4 2026
In Japan, AI assistants most often recommend Kikkoman, Kewpie and Kagome for cooking essentials. Kikkoman is named by 4 of 4 assistants.
What the data says
Kikkoman is the cooking essentials brand AI assistants recommend most in Japan, taking 28% of all recommendation points across 4 assistants. Kewpie follows with 10% and Kagome is third with 9%.
Kikkoman's lead over Kewpie is 18 points, a clear advantage in how AI shortlists the category.
Every assistant tested (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini and Grok) puts Kikkoman first.
The top five brands hold 61% of recommendations out of 15 brands named in total, leaving room for challengers to break into AI shortlists.
| # | Brand | Owner | AI share | ChatGPT | DeepSeek | Gemini | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kikkoman | Kikkoman | 28% | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | Kewpie | Kewpie | 10% | – | – | 25 | 25 |
| 3 | Kagome | Kagome | 9% | – | 25 | 12 | 8 |
| 4 | Maggi | Nestlé | 7% | – | – | – | 35 |
| 5 | Ajinomoto | Ajinomoto | 6.6% | 25 | – | 8 | – |
| 6 | Heinz | Kraft Heinz | 6.4% | – | 20 | – | 12 |
| 7 | Yamasa | Yamasa | 6.4% | 20 | 12 | – | – |
| 8 | Mizkan | Mizkan | 6.4% | 12 | – | 20 | – |
| 9 | Kikkoman Soy Sauce | Kikkoman | 5% | – | – | – | 25 |
| 10 | Bull-Dog | Bull-Dog Sauce | 4% | – | – | – | 20 |
| 11 | Golden Mountain | Tang Sang Hah | 4% | – | – | – | 20 |
| 12 | Lee Kum Kee | Lee Kum Kee | 2.4% | – | – | – | 12 |
| 13 | S&B | S&B Foods | 1.6% | 8 | – | – | – |
| 14 | Higashimaru | Higashimaru | 1.6% | – | 8 | – | – |
| 15 | Knorr | Unilever | 1.6% | – | – | – | 8 |
Questions about AI cooking essentials recommendations
- Which cooking essentials brand does ChatGPT recommend most in Japan?
- ChatGPT recommends Kikkoman most often for cooking essentials in Japan. Across all assistants, Kikkoman leads with 28% of recommendations.
- Which cooking essentials brand is improving fastest in Japan?
- Maggi has the strongest momentum among challengers: AI names it first in 1 of 1 answers where it appears, while holding 7% share. This is the first Q4 2026 reading; change over time will be shown from the next update.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- We ask each AI assistant the questions shoppers ask in each category and market, record the top five brands it names, and give 35, 25, 20, 12 and 8 points for positions one to five. Share is a brand's points divided by all points awarded.
Cooking Essentials: AI rankings by country
Covers: Sauces & Condiments.
Method: each AI assistant is asked the shopper questions for every segment in the category and market; the top five brands named score 35, 25, 20, 12 and 8 points. Share is a brand's points divided by all points awarded. Rankings reflect AI answers, not sales.
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