Japan

In July 2018, Japan approved its first national legislation banning smoking inside public places, such as schools, hospitals, retail stores and restaurants. The ban will be introduced in stages up to April 2020, as Japan aims to lower the risk of ...

Price fighter cigarillos saw strong growth in 2018 as they attracted price-conscious smokers away from the cigarettes category, which was more affected by the price hike at the end of the review period. Some cigars and cigarillos brands, such as ...

Having previously been seen as providing a favourable environment for smokers, Japan is seeing increasing taxation and the introduction of restrictive legislation in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics contribute to a significant shift in consumer ...

The significant rise in prices and increasing consumer health-awareness drove smokers away from cigarettes at the end of the review period, with many migrating to heated tobacco. Being smoke-free, heated tobacco is perceived to be less harmful to ...

The Japanese consumer market has been negatively affected by subdued economic performance and a shrinking population over the past few years. Increasing taxes, a shrinking middle class, and rising income inequality will hamper consumer income and ...

The Japanese toys and games market faces challenging times as low birth rates lead to the ongoing contraction of its core consumer base. Nonetheless, the market experienced moderate growth in 2018 driven by developments such as the trend towards ...

While persistently low birth rates are acting as a significant constraint on growth in traditional toys and games in Japan, there were some notable bright spots in 2018. The final year of the review period saw significant demand for blind ...

While mobile games saw ongoing growth in 2018, it is becoming increasingly difficult for mobile games manufacturers to develop new hit titles. The top three game titles by value sales in the final year of the review period were all first released ...

Drinking at home continued to hit traditional izakaya restaurants. Consumers leading busy modern lifestyles and senior citizens are increasingly finding it preferable to buy foods/drinks and take them home instead of consuming them in consumer ...

Travel and lodging continued to see positive current value growth in 2018, and this positive performance is expected to continue during the forecast period, driven by the expansion of inbound tourism. The ongoing growth of inbound tourism derives ...

Rising labour and ingredients costs and unfavourable demographic trends have presented considerable challenges to full-service restaurants, significantly constraining growth at the end of the review period. Indeed, in 2018, the category saw its most ...

The absorption of Circle K and Sunkus convenience stores into Family Mart involved the closure of some outlets, which had a constraining effect on the development of limited-service restaurants in 2018. Convenience stores’ foodservice is a ...

Japan’s population is shrinking and ageing due to a persistently low birth rate and historically restrictive policies towards immigration. This is having a significant negative impact on overall demand for consumer foodservice in the market and ...

Self-service cafeterias remains a minor niche, accounting for only a small proportion of overall consumer foodservice value sales, with many consumers associating such outlets with school, college or work canteens. However, the channel is benefiting ...

Food trucks, or food wagons, remained a key trend in street stalls/kiosks in 2018. The broad and unusual product variety offered by food trucks, including international cuisine that it is often difficult to find in Japan such as Egyptian, Greek and ...

Growth in the Japanese economy will be lacklustre in 2019. Activities related to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be the main driver. However, private consumption remains weak and the consumption tax increase could lead to volatility in private ...

Baby and child-specific products in Japan registered a static current value performance in 2018, due to the continuous decline in the birth rate. As Japan is going through a significant population decline, the declining number of new born babies will...

Bath and shower in Japan is likely to maintain a positive performance over the forecast period in current value terms, due to the continued strong popularity of premium products. During the review period, bath and shower, especially body wash/shower ...

Previously, men wearing make-up was not mainstream, as it was long considered as something for only female consumers. However, more consumers, especially younger people, are becoming more self-aware due to increasing exposure on social networks, and ...

Rising awareness of sumehara, which translates as “smell harassment”, will continue to support the growth of deodorants in Japan, despite the category already having reached a fair degree of maturity. Sumehara refers to the concept that other ...