Japan

Asia Pacific is the largest and fastest growing region for childrenswear in the world. The large population and a growing middle class underpins good demand for childrenswear in the region. Also, rising income levels, urbanisation and adoption of ...

As world trade and investment deals become more interconnected in the context of globalisation, no economy is immune to fluctuations in the global economy. Insights into the best growth opportunities and “what if” scenarios are crucial to ...

Smart gardening has yet to fully establish itself in Japan, but the number of players in the segment is increasing. Industrial areas are seeing a significant expansion in smart gardening through the development of plant factories employing automation...

While LED lighting has become popular in Japanese homes, smart LED, or connected LED, has not. Japanese consumers have not generally embraced the concept of smart homes, with many not owning major smart devices such as smart speakers. The ...

Natural disasters exerted a significant influence on demand in home improvement in Japan in 2018. Amongst the several extreme natural events seen in the year were an earthquake in Hokkaido that led to a large-scale blackout, heavy rain in the west of...

Busy modern lifestyles and rising health-awareness are combining to drive up demand for products that enable consumers to prepare healthy food quickly and conveniently. The demand for convenience is being bolstered by an increase in single-person ...

The Japanese home and garden market presents notable challenges for its participants. As well as being constrained by maturity, the market is seeing its consumer base shrink as a result of population decline. Moreover, Japan is undergoing a ...

Eggs remain a staple of the Japanese diet with Japan being one of the largest consumers of eggs in the world. Eggs continued to see moderate growth in total volume terms in 2018, with these products being seen as affordable and nutritious. Eggs are ...

Fish and seafood forms a significant part of the traditional Japanese diet with it seen to be partly behind the country’s long life expectancy. However, the category struggled over the review period due to rising prices, which was brought about by ...

Fresh fruits saw a slight in total volume terms over the review period and this continued into 2018. A key factor behind this has been the ongoing shift towards processed fruit and other types of packaged food, especially among younger consumers. ...

After steady gains over the review period meat witnessed only slow growth in total volume terms in 2018. Meat is seen as a good source of protein and is believed to help form a healthy diet. Furthermore, the growing influence of Western food has also...

Nuts witnessed steady growth in total volume terms in 2018 although sales remain relatively low with consumers typically consuming nuts in a processed and packaged format. Nevertheless, the strong health and wellness trend supported the growth of ...

The weather and natural disasters took their toll on the production of some fresh fruit and vegetables at the end of the review period, while overfishing and climate change continued to impact the supply of fish and seafood. This created shortages ...

Pulses remains a relatively small category in Japan with home consumption being limited with consumers preferring the convenience of processed options. As a result foodservice accounts for the majority of sales with these products being processed for...

Potatoes accounts for the majority of total volume sales of starchy roots in Japan and the category recorded growth for the second year running in 2018 after a long period of decline. Japan relies mostly on domestic production for its fresh potatoes ...

Sugar is used in traditional Japanese cooking alongside ingredients such as soy sauce, sake, mirin (sweet cooking rice wine) and miso paste, making it a popular product. However, with growing health concerns and a shrinking population the demand for ...

A record-breaking heatwave in Japan in July 2018 coupled with lower than average rainfall had a big impact on vegetable crops. As a result, the average unit price of fresh vegetables saw a steep rise in 2018 which in turn had a negative impact on ...

With people aged 80 and older expected to be the fastest-growing segment of the population over the forecast period, there is a growing institutional demand for away-from-home adult incontinence products. While many older people are leading ...

Demand amongst Chinese consumers, who perceive Japanese products to offer high quality, played a part in driving strong growth in nappies/diapers/pants during the review period. However, towards the end of the review period, Japanese manufacturers ...

The character of the Japanese tissue and hygiene market is being heavily impacted by demographic developments. A falling birth rate and a rapidly ageing population are leading to a contracting consumer base in nappies/diapers/pants and sanitary ...