Are More Countries Becoming Fans of Japan? ~Exploring “Japan Fans”~

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan continues to rise. Nowadays, you can hear a variety of languages being spoken even on the streets.

However, to turn this situation into a business opportunity, it is important to understand “what attracts tourists to Japan and why they visit” and “how ‘Made in Japan’ is perceived overseas.”

In December 2018, Dentsu Inc. conducted the “Japan Brand Survey 2019” across 20 countries and regions. In this series, we will compare Japan’s past and present using data and present survey results that offer insights for inbound tourism and overseas business expansion.

In this first installment, we’d like to delve a little deeper into “favorable perceptions of Japan.”

Click here for the latest article on the Japan Brand Survey (FY2025):The Expanding and Deepening Global Reach of the Japan Brand

Countries and Regions That Like Japan: “Taiwan” and “Thailand” Tie for First Place

In the “2019 Japan Brand Survey,” “Taiwan” and “Thailand” tied for first place in terms of favorability toward Japan, with a combined score of 98.3% (“Very Favorable” + “Favorable”). “Vietnam,” which ranked first last year, came in a close third, followed by “Malaysia” and “the Philippines,” which tied for fourth place.

The scores for countries and regions ranked 1st through 9th were all in the 90% range, and even “Turkey”—which was newly included in the survey this year—achieved a strong score of 88.0%, making this another excellent year for the results. Looking at the rankings, ASEAN countries and regions occupy the top spots, a trend that has remained consistent over the past few years.

Compared to 2016—three years ago—“Taiwan,” which already enjoyed high favorability, rose more than 6 points to take the top spot. Overall, it appears that many countries in Asia have seen their scores increase.

Furthermore, although their rankings are lower, “the United Kingdom” (2016: 63.5% / 18th → 2019: 71.0% / 15th) and “Germany” (2016: 58.0% / 19th → 2019: 64.0% / 19th) have seen significant increases in their scores, suggesting that favorable sentiment toward Japan is also growing in Europe.

What kind of people like Japan? And why is this number increasing?

Looking at the gender and age trends among those who answered that they “really like Japan,” the majority tend to be “men” in their “20s and 30s.”

This trend is particularly pronounced in North America, where 64.5% of those who answered “I really like Japan” are in their 20s and 30s, and men account for 64.5% of the total.

So, what is it about Japan that attracts people who like the country? The aspect of Japan that those who “really like Japan” are most interested in is, in line with the overall trend, “Japanese cuisine,” which scored high at 61.7% (up 7.6 percentage points from the overall average).

Looking at other categories, travel-related items such as “Japan’s four seasons” (11.1 percentage points higher than the overall average) and “Japanese festivals” (10.4 percentage points higher) scored highly, as did modern culture-related items like “Japanese fashion” (13.3 percentage points higher) and “Japanese design” (9.7 percentage points higher), and content-related items such as “Japanese movies” (9.1 percentage points higher).

Perhaps due to the demographic trend of a large proportion of young men, a notable characteristic is that many people are drawn not only to traditional Japanese culture but also to Japanese cuisine and contemporary culture.

In the United Kingdom, where favorability has risen significantly over the past three years, “Japanese fashion” (2016: 20.0% → 2019: 27.0%) and “Japanese design” (2016: 19.5% → 2019: 26.3%) have seen particularly strong growth in interest.In Germany as well, in addition to technology-related areas, “Japanese food ingredients” (2016: 11.5% → 2019: 19.3%) and “Japanese fashion” (2016: 13.0% → 2019: 20.0%) have seen their scores rise.

It can be inferred that as various aspects of Japanese culture, including food, have become better known overseas, favorable views toward Japan are growing, particularly among younger people.

What kind of impact do people who like Japan have on the country?

Finally, let’s examine how those who answered that they “like Japan”—in other words, Japan fans (81.9% of the total)—engage with Japan.

In this survey, 31.3% of respondents reported having visited Japan for personal reasons; however, when limited to those who answered “I really like Japan,” 43.6% had visited the country. Furthermore, 30% of this “I really like Japan” group are repeat visitors who have traveled to Japan multiple times for personal reasons.

On the other hand, many respondents have used Japanese products; for example, 61.6% of those who “really like Japan” reported having used cars or motorcycles from Japanese brands (compared to 49.5% of the overall sample).

Japanese food also received high scores overall, with particularly high rates of purchase and consumption in categories such as “fruit” (9.9 points above the overall average), “green tea and matcha” (8.5 points above the overall average), and “seafood” (8.3 points above the overall average).

The survey results show that people who have come to know and love Japan through its food, content, and contemporary culture—that is, “Japan fans”—are becoming valuable customers who visit Japan and purchase Japanese products.

I believe that marketing targeted at these “Japan fans” is highly effective.

In particular, when selling goods and services in Europe and North America—where interest in “Japan” is still relatively low—these Japan fans could prove to be valuable allies.

[Contact Information for Inquiries Regarding This Matter]
Dentsu Inc., Japan Brand Project Team
japanbrand@dentsu.co.jp

Japan Brand Research Hub Page
https://www.dentsu.co.jp/knowledge/japan_brand/ 　

[Purpose of the Dentsu Inc. Brand Survey]
Launched in 2011—when the Great East Japan Earthquake led to reputational damage affecting Japanese agricultural and marine products as well as inbound tourism—this is Dentsu Inc.’s proprietary commercial marketing research initiative designed to understand how products and services originating in Japan are perceived globally.The Japan Brand Survey regularly assesses overseas consumers’ perceptions and actual behaviors regarding the Japan brand as a whole, covering areas such as overseas travel, inbound tourism, culture, regional revitalization, Japanese cuisine, Japanese products, and lifestyle. By visualizing shifting consumer sentiments and the challenges and potential of the Japan brand, the survey contributes to increasingly complex corporate activities while also promoting cross-cultural understanding within Japanese society.

[Dentsu Inc. Brand Survey 2019: Survey Overview]
・Target Areas: 20 countries and regions (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey)
・Sample Size: 6,600 (Breakdown: United States 600, Mainland China 600, other countries and regions 300 each)
・Survey Period: December 2018
・Eligibility criteria: Men and women aged 20–59 (middle-income bracket and above)
・Survey Method: Online survey
・Research Organizations: Dentsu Inc. (commissioner), Video Research Ltd. (implementation partner)

[Notes and Disclaimers]
*1: The target areas in mainland China were primarily Tier 1 cities; in Australia, the Sydney metropolitan area; and in Southeast Asia, primarily metropolitan areas.
*2: Definition of middle-income group: Criteria were established for each country based on average national income figures (such as OECD statistics) and socio-economic classification (SEC).
*3: Samples were collected using equal allocation by gender and age group in each country and region, and the data was weighted to reflect the population distribution.
*4: Since the composition ratios in this survey are rounded to the second decimal place (or to the first decimal place in some cases where whole numbers are displayed), the total may not add up to 100%.
*5: In creating the charts and tables for this survey, the names of the countries and regions analyzed use the international standard ISO country codes (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2/3), with a few exceptions.
United States/US/USA, Canada/CA/CAN, Australia/AU/AUS, United Kingdom/UK/GBR, Germany/DE/DEU, France/FR/FRA, Italy/IT/ITA,Spain/ES/ESP, Finland/FI/FIN, United Arab Emirates/UAE, Saudi Arabia/SA/SAU, India/IN/IND, Indonesia/ID/IDN, Singapore/SG/SGP, Malaysia/MY/MYS, Philippines/PH/PHL, Thailand/TH/THA,Vietnam/VN/VNM, Mainland China/CN/CHN, Hong Kong/HK/HKG, Taiwan/TW/TWN, South Korea/KR/KOR, Turkey/TR
*6: The names of countries and regions used in this survey report and on our website are based on the Japanese government’s long-standing position, as well as Japanese social norms and business practices.
*7: The names of countries and regions used in this survey are for statistical or analytical convenience only and do not imply any political stance or opinion.
*8: The maps used in this survey (world map and map of Japan) have been partially modified and cropped to suit the analysis content and page layout; therefore, they may not necessarily reflect national borders and territorial boundaries accurately.
*9: As a commercial marketing research study aimed at understanding the lifestyle habits and brand preferences of general consumers, this survey has been conducted consistently since its inception through commissioned fieldwork partners, in strict compliance with local laws, regulations, and public order and morals.Surveys conducted in China are carried out through fieldwork contractors who have obtained the “Foreign-Related Survey Permit” required by Chinese authorities; our company does not conduct market research activities within China itself. Furthermore, we monitor and review our operational procedures as necessary in light of developments such as changes in laws and regulations.
*10: The response data collected through this survey is obtained, managed, and processed lawfully in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of each target market. The data we receive consists solely of aggregated data that has been anonymized in a manner that does not allow for the identification of specific individuals and cannot be reversed; it does not contain any personal information.