Japan

Japanese consumer income is among the highest in developed countries; however, it is expected to grow only marginally through to 2040, owing to an ageing population, a stagnating economy, and short-term socio-economic turbulence. Increased income ...

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused considerable damage to the car rental market, with the pandemic generally bringing travel to a halt, both across the business and leisure segments and regardless of whether it was domestic or international. ...

Restrictions on travel under the state of emergency aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 had a dramatic impact on airlines. The airlines category is expected to continue to suffer during 2020, both because of enduring consumer concerns about ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked impact on all areas of the Japanese travel and tourism market. On 7 April, the government announced a state of emergency requiring residents in the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, ...

Restrictions on both domestic and international travel aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 have had a marked negative impact on the travel industry. The closure of borders around the world brought an end to international trips. At the same time,...

In recent years, the Japanese lodging category has benefited from stable domestic tourism and rapid growth in inbound tourism. Moreover, it has seen considerable investment in new outlets, increased room capacity and renovations in anticipation of ...

COVID-19 and measures to limit the spread of the disease have had a dramatic negative impact on sales for both domestic and international travel. As of April, Japan’s Foreign Ministry had listed 87 countries as travel advisory level 3, which ...

With consumers forced to spend more time at home this has had a mixed impact on sales of portable players in 2020. Portable media players was already under pressure towards the end of the review period with consumers increasingly relying on their ...

The government’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have had a negative impact on the supply and demand for cars in 2020. Following the declaration of a state of emergency in Japan this put a temporary hold on the production of new cars, while...

Japan has not been as hard hit by COVID-19 as many other countries, with per capita rates of infection significantly lower than in the US or Europe. Nonetheless, it is still having a significant impact on the market. Following government advice most ...

Like most areas of consumer electronics in Japan, volume growth in wearable electronics has slowed in 2020. Supply and distribution challenges have impacted sales, while many consumers have curbed their discretionary spending in light of economic ...

COVID-19 has put a huge strain on the local economy and this is influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers in Japan. While home seclusion has had a positive impact on sales of some products which can provide home entertainment, when it comes ...

To manage the spread of COVID-19 Japan declared a state of emergency with schools closed and employers encouraged to let their staff work from home where possible. With students forced into home schooling this created an increased demand for ...

COVID-19 has forced consumers in Japan to stay at home and the term “Sugomori” (home seclusion) has spread nationwide. This has helped televisions to see sustained growth in retail volume terms, with consumers looking for ways to entertain ...

With a household penetration rate of 110% in 2020, smartphones are already well-established in Japan with most sales now reliant on consumers upgrading. However, the replacement cycle has been slowly rising throughout the review period, with many ...

Imaging devices struggled throughout the review period due to falling demand and COVID-19 has dealt a further blow to an already vulnerable category. Home seclusion has hit imaging devices particularly hard because it is a category that places a ...

The Japanese economy will contract sharply in 2020. Japan is struggling to contain COVID-19 and the 2020 Olympic Games have been postponed, which will have a profound impact on expected tourist arrivals. 2019’s sales tax hike will also limit consumer...

In Q3 2020, global economic activity levels remain significantly below normal. Under the baseline forecast the global economy is headed for the worst global recession since the great depression of the 1930s, with global output set to contract by 3-6%...

The biggest topic in wine in 2019 was the enforcement of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Previously, Japan imposed a tariff on European wine of either the lower tariff of 15% of the CIF (cost, insurance, freight) price or JPY125 ...

Whiskies remained the standout category in spirits in 2019. The category’s strong growth has been spurred by the ongoing fashion for highballs – which has extended from Japanese whisky to other types, including bourbon and Scotch whiskies – in both ...