Are More Countries Developing Affinity for Japan? ~Exploring "Japan Fans"~

Japan continues to see a steady increase in foreign tourists. Nowadays, you can hear various languages spoken in the streets.

However, to turn this situation into a business opportunity, it is crucial to understand "what attracts tourists to Japan and motivates their visits" and "how Made in Japan is perceived overseas."

Dentsu Inc. conducted the "Japan Brand Survey 2019" across 20 countries and regions in December 2018. This series will introduce survey findings offering insights for inbound business and overseas business expansion by comparing Japan's past and present through data.

For Part 1, we'll delve a little deeper into "Favorable Impressions of Japan."

Latest Japan Brand Survey article (FY2025):The Expanding and Deepening World of the Japan Brand

Taiwan and Thailand Rank First in "Countries/Regions with Positive Feelings Toward Japan"

In the "Japan Brand Survey 2019," Taiwan and Thailand tied for first place with a Japan favorability rating of 98.3% (combined score of "Very Favorable" + "Favorable"). Last year's top-ranked Vietnam narrowly placed third, followed by Malaysia and the Philippines tied for fourth.

Countries and regions ranked 1st to 9th all scored in the 90% range. Even Turkey, newly included in this year's survey, achieved a strong score of 88.0%, making this another excellent year. Looking at the rankings, ASEAN countries and regions consistently rank highly, a trend that has remained unchanged for several years.

Compared to three years ago in 2016, "Taiwan," which already had high favorability, increased its score by over 6 points to take the top spot. Overall, many Asian countries seem to have seen their scores rise.

Although their rankings are lower, the UK (2016: 63.5% / 18th → 2019: 71.0% / 15th) and Germany (2016: 58.0% / 19th → 2019: 64.0% / 19th) saw significant score increases, indicating growing favorability toward Japan within the European region.

What kind of people like Japan? Why is this increasing?

Looking at the gender and age trends among those who answered "I really like Japan," there is a tendency for them to be "male" and in their "20s to 30s."

This trend is particularly pronounced in North America, where 64.5% of respondents who answered "I really like Japan" are in their 20s or 30s, and men account for 64.5% of this group.

So, what attracts people who like Japan? The Japanese aspect that those who "really like Japan" are most interested in is, consistent with the overall trend, "Japanese food," scoring highly at 61.7% (overall +7.6pt).

Looking at other items, travel-related aspects like "Japan's four seasons" (11.1pt higher than the overall average) and "Japanese festivals" (10.4pt higher) scored highly. Modern culture-related items such as "Japanese fashion" (13.3pt higher) and "Japanese design" (9.7pt higher), along with content-related items like "Japanese movies" (9.1pt higher), also ranked high.

Perhaps reflecting the demographic trend of a high proportion of young men, it is characteristic that many are drawn not only to traditional Japanese culture but also to food and contemporary culture.

In the UK, where favorability has significantly increased over the past three years, interest in "Japanese fashion" (2016: 20.0% → 2019: 27.0%) and "Japanese design" (2016: 19.5% → 2019: 26.3%) has notably grown.In Germany, besides technology-related items, "Japanese food ingredients" (2016: 11.5% → 2019: 19.3%) and "Japanese fashion" (2016: 13.0% → 2019: 20.0%) have also seen their scores rise.

It can be inferred that as various aspects of Japanese culture, including food, have become known overseas, favorable sentiment toward Japan has increased, particularly among younger generations.

What impact do people who like Japan have on Japan?

Finally, let's examine how those who answered "I like Japan" – essentially Japan fans (81.9% of the total) – engage with Japan.

In this survey, 31.3% of respondents reported having visited Japan privately. However, when limited to those who answered "I really like Japan," 43.6% had visited Japan. Furthermore, 30% of this "really like Japan" group are repeat visitors who have traveled privately to Japan multiple times.

On the other hand, many have also used Japanese products. For example, 61.6% of those who "really like Japan" reported having used Japanese brand automobiles or motorcycles (compared to 49.5% overall).

Japanese food also scored highly overall, with particularly high purchase/consumption rates in categories like "Fruit" (9.9pt higher than the overall average), "Green Tea/Matcha" (8.5pt higher), and "Seafood" (8.3pt higher).

The survey results clearly show that people who came to know and love Japan through its food, content, and modern culture (i.e., Japan fans) have become valuable customers who visit Japan and purchase Japanese products.

Marketing targeted at these "Japan fans" is highly effective.

Especially when selling goods or services in Europe and North America, where interest in "Japan" is still relatively low, Japan fans could become strong allies.

[Contact for Inquiries Regarding This Matter]
Dentsu Inc. Japan Brand Project Team
japanbrand@dentsu.co.jp

Japan Brand Research Hub Page
https://www.dentsu.co.jp/knowledge/japan_brand/

[Purpose of the Dentsu Inc. Japan Brand Survey]
Dentsu Inc.'s proprietary survey initiated in 2011 to understand how the Japan Brand was perceived globally when reputational damage occurred to Japanese agricultural and marine products and inbound tourism following the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2022, it evolved into a cross-company project activity to fundamentally rebuild the survey design, analytical approach, and outputs, enhancing its expertise.In 2025, it will newly plan and build a public knowledge portfolio, aiming to create social value grounded in consumer insights.
The Japan Brand Survey regularly gauges the awareness and actual attitudes of overseas consumers regarding the Japan Brand as a whole, covering areas such as inbound tourism, regional revitalization, food, Japanese products, content, values, lifestyles, and social trends. It visualizes the changing sentiments of consumers and the challenges and potential of the Japan Brand, contributing to increasingly complex corporate activities while also promoting cross-cultural understanding within Japanese society.

【Dentsu Inc. Japan Brand Survey 2019: Survey Overview】
・Target Areas: 20 countries/regions (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey)
・Sample Size: 6,600 (Breakdown: United States 600, Mainland China 600, Other countries/regions 300 each)
・Survey Period: December 2018
・Respondent criteria: Men and women aged 20–59 (middle-income and above)
・Survey Method: Internet survey
・Research Organizations: Dentsu Inc. (Principal Investigator), Video Research Ltd. (Implementation Support)

[Notes and Disclaimers]
※1: Mainland China coverage primarily limited to Tier 1 cities; Australia limited to the Sydney metropolitan area; Southeast Asia primarily limited to metropolitan areas.
※2: Definition of middle-income level: Criteria set per country based on national average income (using OECD statistics, etc.) and social class classification (SEC).
※3: Samples were collected with equal allocation by gender and age group for each country/region, then weighted to match the population composition.
※4: Proportions in this survey are rounded to the second decimal place (or first decimal place for some integer values), so totals may not add up to 100%.
※5: Country and region names used in this survey report and on the website follow the longstanding views of the Japanese government, Japanese social norms, and business practices.
※6: In creating the charts and graphs for this survey, the names of the countries and regions analyzed use the international standard ISO Country Code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2/3), with some exceptions.
United States/US/USA, Canada/CA/CAN, Australia/AU/AUS, United Kingdom/UK/GBR, Germany/DE/DEU, France/FR/FRA, Italy/IT/ITA,Spain/ES/ESP, Finland/FI/FIN, United Arab Emirates/UAE, Saudi Arabia/SA/SAU, India/IN/IND, Indonesia/ID/IDN, Singapore/SG/SGP, Malaysia/MY/MYS, Philippines/PH/PHL, Thailand/TH/THA,Vietnam/VN/VNM, Mainland China/CN/CHN, Hong Kong/HK/HKG, Taiwan/TW/TWN, South Korea/KR/KOR, Turkey/TR
※7: Country and region names used in this survey are for statistical or analytical convenience only and do not indicate any political stance or viewpoint.
※8: The maps used in this survey (world map and Japan map) have been partially modified and cropped to suit the analysis content and page layout. They do not necessarily accurately reflect national borders or territorial boundaries.