Insights
Practical knowledge and market research on doing business in Japan — with the primary sources attached.
Trust & SignalsIn Japan, your own claims mean almost nothing. Trust is assembled from seven layers — and if even one is missing, the decision stops. A framework for diagnosing why buyers hesitate.
Apr 22, 20267 min read
StrategyThe most common entry pattern — machine-translate the existing site to /ja and start advertising — fails for reasons that have nothing to do with grammar. Why, and what to do instead.
Mar 30, 20266 min read97 million monthly users, 74.7% national reach, every age group. LINE is not a messaging afterthought in Japan — it is infrastructure. What that means for foreign brands.
Feb 27, 20265 min readA 92/100 uncertainty-avoidance score changes everything about the purchase journey. Your online presence isn't a brochure — it's whether you exist to a Japanese buyer at all.
Jan 29, 20266 min readMachine-translated sites, the lone Japanese hire, and the full handover to a local agency. Different symptoms, one disease: skipping a step. A field guide to avoiding it.
Dec 15, 20257 min readTotal ad spend hit a record ¥8.06 trillion in 2025, and internet advertising crossed 50% for the first time. A read on the numbers — and what they mean for a new entrant's budget.
Nov 20, 20255 min readRanking is table stakes. In a market where buyers research exhaustively and re-check everything, the content that wins is the content that keeps proving the company is real, current, and credible.
Nov 6, 20256 min readJIN AI
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