Every time I search on google all the results are in Japanese. I checked the default language and it is English. The region is USA. I cleared search history and turned on incognito mode and it still shows searches in Japanese. I also hard reset and factory reset my WiFi router. All my devices connected to WiFi are affected IPhone, Mac, iPad. When I turn off WiFi on my phone and search using 5 g the searches are in English. But when I turn the WiFi back on it’s all Japanese. I’m out of ideas on how to fix it. I used a variety of browsers Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Brave. I am out of ideas on how to fix. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Guess you should start learning Japanese
/s
Any chance your router has a built in VPN?
What make and model is your router.
Go the search setting try to change Results language filter to English
https://www.google.com/preferences?hl=en-UK&fg=1#languages
Select your preferred languages for search results. Use controls on the search results page to turn this filter on. Learn more
English Edit
and click Save
Try enabling 2FA immediately after resetting the password. Check for apps which have access to your account. Maybe try removing each app one at a time (i.e. by a by process of elimination strategy) to see if you still get the unknown search history problem occurring.
There is a YouTube video for this which covers other possible solutions especially if your YouTube/Google account search history is affected:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiWd2lY8COQ
You may want to check for the Easy PiP (Picture-in-Picture) Google extension. Sometimes users have advised that the Google Play Services app causes the unknown search results to occur. If you happen to use Android, in the settings section for chrome there should be a setting called Google Services. If the issue persists, maybe try de-selecting 'autocomplete searches and URLs to see if that makes any difference if your search results.
For real. I’ve been using the built in vpn in Brave browser
I tried it. It’s only temporary fix. The issue is happening on any device connected to the WiFi
Can you go to whatismyipaddress and see if your ip is showing anywhere in Japan?
You mentioned resetting the WiFi router. Just to confirm did you change the WiFi name AND password. It might be that a third party which may have access to your account/home internet.
I came across the 2015 USENIX paper titled ‘Scrutinizing WPA2 Password Generating Algorithms in Wireless Routers’ which covers this potential hacking issue. I know it’s not a quick fix to your issue, but it may be that the router you are using has outdated security features.
What is the make and model of your router? Is it dated pre-2015 ?