Japan

The energy industry experienced difficult market conditions in 2020, given falling crude oil prices and lockdown-induced disruptions in refined petroleum consumption. The year also saw an increased focus on developing the industry’s sustainability…

Smart wearables, namely smart watches, continues to consolidate its dominate position within Japanese wearable electronics as a health tracking device. In the initial stages of smart watches, it was perceived to be a device for tech-savvy…

With the enhancement of Bluetooth technology and the gradually expanding AI voice assistant models offered by the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant in consumers’ homes, wireless speakers has continued to experience demand over the review…

2021 has become a memorable year for mobile phones in Japan. The three largest telecom players in Japan, Docomo (operated by NTT Docomo), au (operated by KDDI) and SoftBank (operated by SoftBank), all launched second brands. KDDI already had a second…

After experiencing a double-digit drop in retail volume sales in 2020 as the pandemic and subsequent rising price sensitivity significantly reduced investments in terms of purchasing vehicles, 2021 is expected to register a partial recovery in terms…

The emergence of the pandemic particularly impacted demand for imaging devices in Japan in 2020, although the category was already on a declining trajectory over the review period, due to the high prevalence of alternative devices such as smartphones…

The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were due to be held in Tokyo in 2020, but they were postponed until 2021 as a result of the pandemic. Some manufacturers and retailers were concerned that the postponement would damage sales of televisions, but…

It is understandable that demand for a number of home audio and cinema products is declining in Japan when the population is decreasing. However, another negative factor in declining demand is the prevalent use of smartphones. The iPhone, which has…

Consumers using TWS earbuds in Japan before the entry of Apple’s AirPods in December 2016 are deemed to be early adopters. Other producers quickly followed as a result of the category’s dynamic growth following Apple’s arrival. Nevertheless, at this…

Following a strong upturn in demand for a number of consumer electronics in 2020 due to the home seclusion trend as a result of the pandemic, including computers for remote working and studying, and televisions and e-readers for home entertainment,…

Demand for computers was expected to drop in 2020 prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 following a spike in demand for replacements, for both business and retail, driven by the end of extended support of Windows 7 in the January. However, 2020 was a…

Continued home seclusion and less going out are contributing to only slow recovery for wound care in 2021, as there are fewer opportunities for injuries. Meanwhile, in Japan there is a unique tradition whereby job hunters have a “uniform” of black…

The overall positive trend in weight management and wellbeing is because consumers are becoming more health-conscious due to the continued spread of COVID-19, as well as due to the continuing trend for muscle training, and the ever-present desire for…

In 2021, the impact of COVID-19 has continued, and the number of infections has increased again along with the emergence of new variants, so improving immunity continues to be a focus of consumer attention. Therefore, vitamin C and vitamin D, which…

In 2021, overall sports nutrition is set to see slower growth than in recent years, due to consumers avoiding going to gyms, and the fact that people have been exercising less intensively. In addition, the continuing effects of COVID-19 and the…

Due to stress/anxiety from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 sleep aids is set to show continued growth from previous year, as more people have been having trouble sleeping. With disrupted lives and sleep due to pandemic restrictions there has…

In 2021, paediatric dermatologicals, as overall dermatologicals, is set to see solid growth due to an increase in rough and chapped hands caused by hand washing and use of alcohol disinfectants due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. On the other…

As observed in last year's report, since a law (Health Promotion Law) banning indoor smoking in principle took full effect across the nation from April 2020, stricter rules have pushed smokers to quit smoking. Now in most restaurants in Tokyo and…

Herbal/traditional products such as Aojiru, which has long been popular amongst inbound tourists, were expected to struggle with the prolonged outbreak of COVID-19 and the low number of foreign visitors to Japan. However, domestic demand for Aojiru…