Influencer Marketing in Japan is predicted to hit an annual expenditure of 74.1 billion Japanese Yen in 2023. From the best insights, top Japanese influencers and content creators to recommend, and how to start the campaign in Japan, this article will give you a complete guide to grow your business in Japan using Influencer Marketing.
- Influencer Marketing in Japan is predicted to hit an annual expenditure of 74.1 billion Japanese Yen in 2023
- YouTube is the most popular social media platform for influencer marketing campaigns in Japan
- 13% of Japanese social media users follow influencers
- Fashion & Beauty Brands in Japan Spend The Most Influencer Campaign Budget
- Entertainment is the most popular niche for Japanese Influencers
Wisely 😉
Here are the best trends & statistics of influencer marketing in 2023 in Nippon.
Are you struggling to market your product in Japan?
Here is the kicker: leverage influencer marketing.
The influencer marketing industry in Japan is huge and filled with potential influencers to promote & sell your products.
The social media user base in Japan is huge, even the penetration rate is 81%.
Plus, Japanese online consumers also trust influencers to be their convincing factor before buying a product.
To run a successful influencer campaign, you need fuel to execute it well.
Here are the key insights & statistics on the state of influencer marketing in Japan in 2023.
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What is influencer marketing in Japan?
Influencer marketing in Japan is social media marketing involving brand endorsements and product placements from Nihon influencers, content creators, or key opinion leaders (KOL).
The chosen figure will then promote the product or service from the brand on their social media posts as sponsored content.
Japan, a country with a unique cultural identity and intricate social customs, is a big market for influencer marketing.
The influencer marketing industry in Japan is at an advanced level where brands spend more on budget.
This is because the Japanese social media user base is huge.
The social media users in Japan are 102 million people, which is equivalent to 81% of the total population.
The number later will be divided into the most social media platforms in Japan
Which are LINE, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Japanese influencers are flourishing and more people spend more time online.
If you are planning to expand your business in Nippon,
Make sure you take advantage of the best insights and trends that we are going to spill in this article.
Stay tuned.
Influencer Marketing in Japan is predicted to hit an annual expenditure of 74.1 billion Japanese Yen in 2023
One parameter of how big the industry is:
How much money brands are willing to invest in influencer marketing.
The answer is a lot.
Last 2022, the annual expenditure of brands investing in influencer marketing is at 61.5 billion Japanese Yen.
The number is expected to grow in 2023 to 71.4 billion Japanese Yen.
Look at the growth prediction here.
Compared to overall social media marketing, influencer marketing is not that large segment actually.
However, seeing the willingness of brands to increase more of their budget for influencer marketing,
The Japanese influencer marketing industry is still a prolific ground to market your products.
Let’s see what you can do, which platform is the best, and who are the best influencers to work with in your Japanese influencer campaigns.
YouTube is the most popular social media platform for influencer marketing campaigns in Japan
If you wonder which social media platform is the most used by Japanese users,
It’s LINE.
According to a study, LINE leads as the most popular social messenger in Japan in 2023.
Twitter and Instagram come second & third respectively.
Here are the top 4 most popular social used by Japanese social media users:
- LINE ranks first as the most popular social media and is used by 79% of Japanese users
- Twitter ranks second as the most-used social messenger in Japan with 58% of Nihon users
- Instagram places third rank as the social media platform with 47% Nippon users
- Facebook ranks fourth as the social media platform with 30% Japanese users
The Meta products can still prove they are dominating the social media landscape in almost every country.
However, in Japan, the best they do is have Instagram as the third most popular social network.
Take a look at the chart to see every social media used by the Japanese in 2023.
However, in terms of influencer marketing campaigns, YouTube is the winner.
Twitter comes second, followed by Instagram.
Here are the top 3 lists of preferred social media platforms to run influencer marketing campaigns in Nippon in 2023:
- YouTube is used by 30% of Japanese marketers to run influencer campaigns
- Twitter is used by 27% of marketers to run influencer campaigns in Japan
- Instagram is used by 23% of Japanese marketers to run influencer campaigns
Look at the complete list of the most popular platforms for influencer marketing in Japan.
Those numbers state that YouTube is an essential platform in the influencer marketing landscape of Japan.
In 2023, there are 102 million users on Japanese YouTube.
Imagine featuring your product in one of the top YouTubers in Japan.
Your brand will definitely get wide exposure and the chance of your product being purchased is also high.
What are you waiting for? Start your influencer marketing campaign in Japan with the best YouTubers in the country.
13% of Japanese social media users follow influencers
Japanese online consumers prefer to look up to celebrities & performers on social media.
This is clear from the types of accounts they mostly follow.
Here are the top 3 social media accounts followed by Nippon’s social media users:
- 28% of Nihon’s social media users follow friends, family, and people they know
- 20% of Nippon social media users follow actors, comedians, & performers
- 19% of Japanese social media users follow bands, singers, & musicians
Even if influencers don’t rank in the top 3,
There are still 13% of Nippon’s users who follow & interact with them actively on social media.
Influencers are best sellers in Japan. How so?
This chart shows that product recommendations from influencers
Are proven to encourage Japanese digital buyers to purchase them.
Especially for fashion, food & drink, and beauty products.
Based on the chart, Fashion is the leading product purchased after an influencer’s promotional post.
Food & Drink comes second, and then there are Beauty products in the third position.
This is a great opportunity for brands in those sectors to leverage influencer marketing,
Especially if they want to increase their brand’s sales.
Fashion & Beauty Brands in Japan Spend The Most Influencer Campaign Budget
Now, we’re moving to the brand section.
The popularity of influencer marketing in Japan has made various brands from any sector invest in it.
In fact, Fashion & Beauty sector leverage & spends most of its budgets on influencer marketing.
Then, the Lifestyle & Home industry comes second after Fashion & Beauty.
These are the top 3 brands that leverage influencer marketing the most in Japan:
- 51% of Fashion & Beauty brands in Japan leverage influencer marketing
- 18% of Lifestyle & Home brands in Japan leverage influencer marketing
- 9% of Food & Drink brands in Japan leverage influencer marketing
Take a look at the full chart of brand sectors leveraging influencer marketing in Japan.
These statistics mean there is a big opportunity for Fashion & Beauty brands.
The more brands invest in influencer marketing,
The higher the trust from brands that influencer marketing really works for them.
In fact, the beauty & personal care industry in Japan is huge,
The country is even named the third-largest beauty market worldwide.
The growth of the industry is predicted to hit $28 billion in 2023.
With the promising industry, your beauty brands will thrive successfully in Japan.
Remember to work with the best influencers in Japan to market your products
Since more than 50% of Japanese cosmetic brands are doing so 😉
Examples of Brands in Japan with Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Looking for inspiration to start your influencer campaign in Japan?
No worries, we have prepared the 5 best examples of Japanese brands running their influencer marketing campaigns you can look up to.
Check these out.
Suorum collabs with famous TikToker to deliver brand image
Suorum is one of the well-known beauty brands in Japan.
They collaborate with a famous Japanese TikToker, @1209rise to spread their brand image & value:
Being recognized as a genderless beauty product.
The video has been watched by over 2.5 million viewers, achieving the campaign’s goal.
Morinaga partners with an illustrator influencer on Instagram
A unique campaign will always be memorable.
Like the one that is done by Morinaga where the company is partnering with a popular illustrator & comic influencer on Instagram, Booboo, to promote their new ice cream product.
Booboo draws a funny storyline that makes his followers laugh.
Even though they know it’s sponsored content, they are convinced to buy the product.
Men’s Clear works with influencers on TikTok to increase brand awareness
Men’s Clear in Japan provides hair removal for male clients and they want to promote the service.
Then, the company collabs with various influencers on TikTok
And the goal is to convince men that hair removal is needed.
Men’s Clear then asks Japanese female creators to create a video based on their perspectives,
That they prefer men without beards, etc.
Winning Eleven works with popular football players & influencers on YouTube
Winning Eleven is a popular soccer game in Japan.
Thanks to its successful influencer campaign on YouTube where they collaborate with famous football players & influencers.
They are asked to play the game in a team to show Japanese people
That the game is a lot more fun to be played in a group.
Lawson collabs with Culinary Experts & YouTubers to create a special dish
Challenges will always be fun.
Lawson, one of the leading convenience stores in Japan teamed up with famous chefs & cooking YouTubers.
They are challenged to make a special dish made from store products.
The goal is to inspire the store’s customers that even convenience store food can still be delicious to eat.
Entertainment is the most popular niche for Japanese Influencers
Japan is known for its lucrative entertainment industry.
Especially for the video games market, the industry’s value has even doubled in four years.
In 2018, Japanese Fim & TV industries contribute $125.8 billion to the country’s economy.
The entertainment industry in Japan is indeed a big economic contributor to the country.
No wonder social media in Nippon is filled with influencer entertainment content.
Fashion & Beauty place second.
Here are the top 3 most popular influencer content in Nihon:
- Entertainment & Hobbies are the most popular influencer niche in Nippon
- Fashion & Beauty are the second most popular Japanese influencer niche
- Travel is the third most popular influencer niche in Japan
Looking at the chart, the top 2 are clearly dominating Japan’s influencer content scenes.
The gap is very wide.
See the full chart of the most popular influencer content in Japan in 2023.
One other important thing to highlight:
It’s also strange seeing the gaming niche in the bottom 3 since the market is huge in Japan.
However, this also indicates that this is a great chance for brands in Entertainment and Fashion & Beauty industries.
The high number of influencer content means there are various influencers in the niche that you can collaborate.
Jump on influencer marketing ASAP to reach Japanese audiences effectively.
The best Influencers in Japan in 2023 you can work with
Are you looking for the best influencers in Japan on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram?
From gaming, travel, and food, to photography,
Here are the top 10 best Japanese influencers you can collaborate with.
1. Bayashi TV – Famous Japanese Food YouTuber & TikToker
Bayashi TV is a well-known Japanese food influencer with 8M subscribers and 36M followers on TikTok.
This Japanese YouTuber posts straightforward cooking shorts and even his videos are relatively short.
But many people love his videos for making big portions of food.
2. Ame LIFE – Tokyo-Based Travel YouTube Influencer & Dog Lover
Ame is a Japanese travel content creator who documents her life living alone in Tokyo with her three dogs.
When you look at her YouTube videos, you will instantly get those Ghibli Studio vibes.
Ame’s content usually begins with a mini vlog of herself preparing her meals and getting ready for her adventure with her dogs.
3. Takahiro Takinami – Tokyo-Based Rock Band Photographer & Influencer
If you have been to a rock concert, you must be familiar with the atmosphere – loud and lively.
And Takahiro Takinami is always ready to freeze those moments through his lens.
From candid on-stage pictures to backstage photoshoots, he captures them all.
Indeed the best photography influencer from Japan.
4.TabiEats – Famous Japanese Food Influencers on YouTube
Shinichi and Satoshi are the hosts of the popular YouTube channel TabiEats, where they travel around Japan to try various foods.
They do mukbang, and food reviews, and feature their food journey on the channel.
There, you can see them exploring foods in unique restaurants, street food stalls, convenience stores,
And even food vending machines in many different cities in the country.
5. Shuuya – The Famous Japanese Mario Bros and Minecraft Gaming YouTuber
Shuuya is one of the popular gaming YouTubers from Japan.
From the millions of views he gets on his Super Mario Bros videos, it is clear that people enjoy watching him.
Among his videos, you can find that he plays other relaxing games, such as Animal Crossing and Stray.
6. Imma – First-Ever Virtual Fashion Model in Japan
Imma is an iconic Nihon virtual influencer and the first CGI fashion model in the world.
Produced by Aww Inc., her hyperrealistic features will make you take a second look just to make sure she’s not a human.
Many big brands have collaborated with her, including IKEA, Porsche, Nike, Puma, Amazon, and even SK-II.
7. Kimagure Cook – Japanese Seafood Expert and YouTuber
Kimagure Cook is a YouTube channel created by Japanese YouTuber, Kaneko.
Kaneko’s content revolves around him cleaning, cutting, and cooking various seafood, including exotic ones, such as giant squid, and stingrays.
He sometimes shows his viewers how he gets the seafood, either straight from the sea or the market.
8. Mochimaru – The Fluffy Japanese YouTuber
Mochimaru is a Japanese YouTuber and a…. Cat.
In August of 2021, this Scottish fold was crowned as the most-watched cat on YouTube by the Guinness World Records.
Mochimaru is a gateway to reaching Japanese cat lovers.
9. ALISA – The Japanese Beauty Influencer
Alisa is a beauty YouTuber from Japan famous for her doe-eyes makeup looks.
Since she is a professional makeup artist, she gives a bunch of tips that are easy to follow.
Consequently, makeup beginners love her content.
10. KAF – Nippon’s Virtual Musician and Influencer
Kaf is an eighteen-year-old Japanese virtual girl who is famous for her beautiful singing voice.
She has her own original songs, such as Devour The Past and Heart & Trick.
On top of that, KAF’s voice also captivates fans’ hearts through her music covers.
How to start an influencer marketing campaign in Japan?
You get the campaign inspiration & influencers in hand, but don’t know how to start?
No worries, we call this a complete guide for nothing.
Here are the best ways to start your influencer campaign in Japan.
Choose one of the top Japanese influencer marketing platforms
You don’t have to scroll & type in the Search Box on Instagram to find the right influencer.
You are more important than that.
Instead of wasting your precious time looking for the best influencers, you can use one of the top influencer marketing tools in Nippon.
It saves you time, and money, and also can help your campaigns be much more effective & manageable.
With their big database of influencers & robust filters, you can easily find the right match.
You can also use anything you need, campaign management, CRM management, campaign analytics, and many more.
And you can’t miss the bot followers detection, it’s gonna be very worth it.
Use the service of the best influencer marketing agency in Japan
If you don’t have time to run an influencer campaign, give it to a trusted influencer marketing agency in Nihon.
It will save you time & energy.
Plus, you will be guaranteed real results from them without actually running the campaign.
Even if they charge you more than paying for an influencer tool, they’re still worth your money.
Why?
An agency is mostly filled with practitioners who have had expert knowledge in the ever-changing marketing industry for years.
They literally have the best experience and insights into the industry.
Plus, they have a dedicated creative team.
Just give the campaign brief and you will get the best results in hand.
What is the best influencer tool to find influencers in Japan?
Our answer is Inflact.
We already tried and reviewed plenty of influencer marketing Tools & Software.
And Inflact proves its Free Features are the best ones to discover potential influencers in Japan.
You will get 20% OFF if you want to use their professional tool using the promo code INSG20
As it said, it is totally FREE and is very easy to use.
Just type the preferred query, from keywords, and emails, to a set of filters,
Then you will be displayed with the most relevant KOLs & figures for your brand.
Plus, you can add them to your list (sign-up required) or download the search results easily to your device.
Inflact is also a complete marketing tool where you can schedule posts on Instagram,
Use its Free hashtag generators, and more.
You can also save the targeted profiles from the influencer search as your benchmark
To target followers from their audiences if you use Instagram automation.
Our Take: Level up your influencer marketing strategies in Japan by using the best 2023 insights & trends
Penetrating a new industry, especially in a new country is not easy.
You need essential insights about the market industry & consumer behavior in order to succeed.
Reading into these key statistics of influencer marketing in Japan is the right step for you.
The Nippon online buyers’ insights, the brands, the influencers, and the campaign ideas,
Will be your best fuel to run the most successful influencer campaign in Japan that bring you the goals you target.
The Japanese influencer marketing industry is huge and is projected to grow more in the future.
The demand also comes from Nihon digital consumers, they trust influencer recommendations more than anything else.
However, don’t forget to audit the influencer you want to work with.
Never fall for obvious scams.
This is 2023 and if your brand is not on influencer marketing yet, you lost the competition even before competing.
Start leveraging influencers to wider market your product, spread more brand awareness, and increase your sales.
You have no idea how to start?
Use the best influencer marketing tool or hire an agency to help you with the influencer campaign.
And if you look for one, we are open to collaboration 🙂
Hundreds of clients have been handled by us collaborating with trusted influencers, no fake ones.
Try us and receive the best, real results from your influencer campaign in Japan.
Note: Do you want to get featured? Do you have additional data to add or a solution to help our readers? Just contact us here.
Sources: 414 Media Pte Ltd, DataReportal, AnyMind, Meta
All your questions and our Answers about Influencers in Japan
Are influencers popular in Japan?
Definitely. There are countless influencers & YouTubers from Japan that have been promoting brands’ products on their pages. Especially on YouTube, the most popular social media platform in Nippon, there are famous creators that will feature a product placement alongside their videos. Start working with Japanese influencers and get the best results for your business.
Is Japan good for influencer marketing?
Absolutely, influencer marketing has become an important market segment in Japan. The huge social media user base makes it easier for marketers to reach any Japanese online. Moreover, the way Nippon digital buyers trust influencers push brands to take advantage of their influence to market their products or services.
Article By
Gregory Taslaud
Founder and Full time Blogger at INSG. Inbound Marketing enthusiast since 2001, I love data, test and review Tools. On a mission to build Media & eCommerce projects with various Brands and Creators.