Q1 Which countries show the highest intent to visit Japan?

In 2015, the number of international visitors to Japan surpassed 20 million, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now just four years away. Global attention on Japan continues to grow.

How does the current Japan appear to the world? How is the "Japan Brand" – encompassing tourism, land, food, and products – evaluated overseas?

Dentsu Inc.'s "Team Cool Japan" and DENTSU SOKEN INC.'s "Japanology" project conducted the "Japan Brand Survey 2016" across 20 countries and regions worldwide in April 2016. This report introduces the perceptions and realities of overseas consumers. This installment focuses on "Countries with High Intent to Visit Japan."

A1 Thailand leads in visit intent. North America sees increased points from last year
 

Thailand leads in visit intention. Asian countries and regions like Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia also rank high, suggesting geographical proximity influences visit intentions.

Overall, approximately 80% of respondents expressed "intention to visit," maintaining last year's high score. Notably, North America (including the US and Canada) saw an increase of around 10 points compared to last year. This suggests further growth in visitors from North America can be anticipated.

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<Japan Brand Survey 2016 Overview>
● Purpose: To understand overseas consumers' perceptions and actual behavior regarding the overall "Japan Brand"—including Japanese food, tourism, and products—and support corporate marketing activities.
●Target Areas: 20 countries and regions
China (Beijing, Shanghai), Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia
●Survey Method: Online survey
●Respondent Criteria: Men and women aged 20-59 from middle-income households and above
●Sample Size: 200 respondents per region, total 4,000 respondents
●Survey Period: April 25 to May 18, 2016

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Dentsu Inc. Team Cool Japan
A company-wide cross-functional project team established to promote 'Cool Japan-related initiatives'—expanding products and services leveraging Japanese culture and strengths into overseas markets. Dentsu Inc. also invests in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Cool Japan Organization (fund). The team brings together client company representatives handling overseas expansion, media and content specialists, overseas subsidiary network managers, producers, and planners to work on initiatives promoting Japan's appeal globally.

DENTSU SOKEN INC. "Japanology" Project
DENTSU SOKEN INC. is advancing initiatives focused on culture as a management challenge for 2020 and beyond. We provide workshops and training on cross-cultural management and organizational culture diagnostics for Japanese companies advancing globalization and foreign companies aiming to penetrate the Japanese market.