How to map a Japanese keyboard on English Windows XP OS

Problem: You have a Japanese laptop and you are using an English Windows XP operating system.  When you press some keys on your keyboard, characters different from those printed on the keys appear on the display.

Cause: Windows XP does not automatically recognize that a Japanese keyboard is installed and keeps the key mapping to its default (English - United States I think). Basically, Windows assumes a different keyboard layout than the actual keyboard that is being used.

Solution: The solution to this problem has two parts, first is setting up the Regional and Language Options and the other is replacing the driver for the keyboard. The solution is explained in detail below:

Step I. Set the Regional and Language options to add Japanese language and Japanese keyboard layout.

1. Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start -> Control Panel)
2. Go to the Regional and Language Options menu.. (If you are using Category view, click "Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options", then click  Regional and Language Options. If you are using Classic view, select "Regional and Language Options" directly)
3. Click on the Languages tab and check if the tick box for "Install files for East Asian languages" is checked. If it is not checked, click the tick box to install the necessary files


• If you clicked the tick box to add a check mark, Windows will ask for the XP installation disk for it to install the necessary files. Please insert the Windows XP installation disk, or load an ISO image of the installation disk if you have one).
• After installation, Windows will ask you to restart your computer. Click Yes to restart. Be sure to remove the CD or DVD if you used one to install, because your computer might boot from these devices if the installer disk is bootable.


4. After installation, go back to the Languages tab and click the "Details..." button under the Text services and input languages section.
5. In the "Text services and input languages" window, click the "Add..." button (on the Settings tab), then select the following and click OK:


• Input language : English (United States) or Japanese (if you prefer to use Japanese input)
• Keyboard layout/IME : Japanese


6. After step 5 above, you can now see additional options in the "Installed services" window. To change the default language and keyboard setting, select your preferred combination in the "Default input language" section. You may select one of the following for example:


• "English (United States) - Japanese" (if you selected English (United States) as input language in step 5)
• "Japanese - Japanese" (if you selected Japanese as input language in step 5)

Step 1 is done after the input language and keyboard setting is configured. Be sure to click the OK and Apply buttons as necessary.

Step II. Replace the keyboard driver from the default driver to the Japanese keyboard driver.

1. Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start -> Control Panel)
2. Go to the Keyboard menu.. (If you are using Category view, click "Printers and Other Hardware", then click  Keyboard. If you are using Classic view, select "Keyboard" directly)
3. In the Keyboard Properties window, go to the Hardware tab and click on the "Properties" button.


• Notice that the keyboard driver you are currently using is "Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard." A Japanese keyboard typically has 106/109 keys.


4. In the driver properties window click on the Driver tab and click the "Update Driver..." button. The Hardware Update Wizard window will appear.
5. Click "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" and click Next.
6. Click "Don't search, I will search for the driver to install" and click Next.
7. Uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" tick box.
8. Scroll up on the "Model" sub window and select "Japanese PS/2 Keyboard (106/109 Key), then click Next.
9. An Update Driver Warning window will appear, saying that installing the driver is not recommended because Windows cannot verify its compatibility with the hardware. Click the Yes button to install the driver.
10. A Confirm Device Install window will appear saying that the current PS/2 mouse port driver(s) may be replaced. Ignore this warning and click Yes.
11. Installation is now complete. Click the "Finish" button to finalize the installation. Windows will ask you to reboot your computer. Click Yes to reboot.

After rebooting, your Japanese keyboard should be mapped properly on your English Windows XP OS. Please check the keys using any word processor.