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Japanese Locale (JP Locale) ​

Setting up Japanese locale is recommended for running visual novels and other Japanese software on your computer.

Steam Deck user? Click here to jump to the Steam Deck section.

Why Japanese Locale is Required ​

Background

Most visual novels are developed in Japan using Japanese character encoding (Shift-JIS or EUC-JP). Without proper locale settings, your system may:

  • Display garbled text
  • Crash during gameplay
  • Fail to install properly
  • Be unable to read Japanese filenames

Cost-Effective Translation Approach

Many official English translations still require JP locale because it's more cost-efficient to:

  • Keep the original Japanese encoding
  • Include tools like Locale Emulator
  • Avoid expensive re-programming work

Windows Setup ​

Important

This is the most reliable method for Japanese games.

  1. Change System Locale

    1. Open Control Panel
    2. Click Region
    3. Go to the Administrative tab
    4. Click Change System Locale...
    5. Select Japanese (Japan) from the dropdown
    6. Restart your computer

  2. Optional: Japanese Language Pack

    • Open Settings → Time & Language → Language
    • Click Add a language
    • Select 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Check only Language Pack (uncheck Text-to-speech, Speech Recognition, Handwriting)
    • Click Install

Method 2: Locale Emulator ​

Alternative Solution

Use Locale Emulator if you can't change system locale. Note: May not work with all applications.

Linux Setup ​

NOTE

For Steam Deck, see section after Linux.

To run Japanese software correctly, your system needs to support Japanese characters — including filenames, UI, and input. Most systems do not require a full system-wide Japanese locale, but you should ensure the following:

  • Japanese locale (ja_JP.UTF-8) is generated and available
  • Japanese fonts are installed
  • Flatpak apps are configured to include Japanese language support
  • Optional: Japanese input method (IM) if needed

Common Issues Without JP Locale

Without Japanese locale support, you may experience:

  • Game crashes (especially older or Wine-based titles)
  • Garbled or unreadable text
  • Inability to delete files with Japanese names
  • Compatibility issues with Steam or Lutris

IMPORTANT

Flatpak and containerized apps (like Lutris, Steam, or Bottles) usually do not automatically inherit your system locale.

You must manually enable language support by setting:

bash
flatpak config --user --set languages 'en;ja'
flatpak update

This ensures Japanese fonts and locale files are available inside the container. Without this, games may crash or show garbled text.

On Arch Linux and its derivatives, you'll uncomment the Japanese locale in the configuration file and then generate it.

bash
# Optional: Ensure glibc (which provides locale tools) is up-to-date
# and package signing keys are initialized.
# sudo pacman-key --init
# sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux
# sudo pacman -S glibc

# 1. Uncomment the ja_JP.UTF-8 line in the locale generation file
# This tells the system you want this locale to be available.
sudo sed -i 's/^#\(ja_JP.UTF-8 UTF-8\)/\1/' /etc/locale.gen

# 2. Generate the locales
# This creates the necessary locale archive files.
sudo locale-gen

Verifying Locale Availability ​

After running the commands for your distribution, you can verify that the Japanese locale is now available on your system:

bash
locale -a | grep ja_JP.UTF-8

This command should output ja_JP.UTF-8 (or ja_jp.utf8) if it has been successfully generated and is available.

IMPORTANT

You do not need to switch your whole system to Japanese; just ensure the locale is available and properly configured. These commands achieve that by making ja_JP.UTF-8 available for applications to use.

Steam Deck Setup ​

SteamOS 3.5+ Update

Recent SteamOS versions include system-wide Japanese locale by default.

For Lutris/Flatpak apps: Still need to enable manually for software-level Japanese locale.

Legacy Setup (Pre-Steam OS 3.5)

Steam Deck used to require special handling due to its read-only filesystem:

Manual Setup ​

bash
sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo pacman-key --init
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux
sudo pacman -S glibc
sudo sed -i 's/^#\(ja_JP.UTF-8 UTF-8\)/\1/' /etc/locale.gen
sudo locale-gen

# Re-enable read-only mode (recommended)
sudo steamos-readonly enable

Automated Script Option ​

Alternative: Automation Script

For Steam Deck users who prefer automation or need to restore settings after system updates:

  1. Download XargonWan's script
  2. Place in desired folder
  3. Run in terminal:
    bash
    sh ./japanese_locale_enabler.sh

This script performs the same steps as the manual setup above.

Lutris Configuration ​

Run these commands in the Konsole (Terminal application).

bash
flatpak config --system --set languages 'en;ja'
flatpak config --user --set languages 'en;ja'
flatpak update

Result: A new "Locale" dropdown will appear in Lutris game configurations.

Per-Game Configuration ​

  1. In Lutris, right-click your visual novel and select Configure
  2. Go to System Options tab
  3. Set Locale to ja_JP.utf8

Why This Extra Step?

Lutris (especially Flatpak versions) runs in a sandboxed environment and doesn't inherit system locales by default. Flatpak only includes explicitly configured languages to keep download sizes manageable.

Troubleshooting ​

IssueSolution
Garbled text in gameEnable system-wide JP locale
Can't delete JP filesInstall system JP locale
Game won't startTry Locale Emulator (Windows)
Lutris no locale optionRun flatpak commands above
Steam Deck issuesUse automation script

Summary ​

  1. Windows Users: Change system locale or use Locale Emulator
  2. Linux Users: Enable JP locale via terminal commands
  3. Lutris Users: Configure flatpak languages and set per-game locale
  4. Steam Deck Users: Out of the box enabled (3.5+) or enable manually or with script

Success Check

After setup, you should be able to:

  • Run Japanese visual novels without crashes
  • See proper Japanese text rendering
  • Handle files with Japanese names
  • Use Lutris locale dropdown (Linux)

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