TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Tokyo-based startup is offering clients a window into the opaque world of Chinese social media by providing insights that allow them to produce promotional content tailored to the nation's restrictive internet environment.

Kentoshi Inc. launched its service in July in which it analyzes Chinese social media posts about travel in Japan and leisure activities on platforms like Weibo, China's equivalent of the social media platform X, and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

It then uses its insights to shape promotional campaigns for clients, like prefectural tourism authorities, who want to promote their offerings within the Chinese government's strictly monitored and filtered internet environment that is overseen by what is colloquially known as the "Great Firewall."

Internet users in China are severely limited from accessing and sending certain information if they do not use tools such as virtual private networks to circumvent restrictions.

Kentoshi coordinates with Chinese social media companies to access data it uses to shape its customers' content to conform and deliver outcomes, according to the company named after Japan's envoys who fostered exchanges with China from the seventh to ninth century.

Winning its first contract with Akita Prefecture, the company worked with a popular Chinese influencer last month to post her travel experiences in the northeastern prefecture. Posts were consumed by her followers and others who may be interested, the company said.

"China's strict government control of media is making it difficult for us to obtain raw information, so we are looking forward to seeing the results (of the campaign)," a prefectural official said.

The company is also working with Akita to draw more Chinese tourists by targeting those interested and serving content to them. Chinese tourists tend to travel along Japan's "Golden Route" that takes in destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Mt. Fuji, it said, posing challenges to other areas keen to attract the tourist dollar.

There was a surge in Chinese tourists visiting Japan recently, with the number in the January-October period tripling from a year earlier to 5.83 million. But the number remains below that seen in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking ahead, Kentoshi hopes to sell its services to major Japanese department stores and e-commerce operators by identifying demand for products such as cosmetics and health foods, allowing customers to target a specific audience with promotional materials.

"We want the service to be used across a wide range of businesses," said Kentoshi CEO Tatsuro Yamamoto.