Japanese social media offers a great opportunity for businesses to reach customers in a cost-effective and targeted way. By using the power of social media in Japan, also known as SNS, businesses can access the huge potential of the Japanese market and grow their customer base. Understanding Japan’s Social Media landscape, with its unique communication styles, cultural nuances, social media platforms, and content preferences, is essential for success.
Japan’s population is around 122.6 million, and internet usage reached 104 million at the start of 2024, which is around 85% of the total population. In Japan, 98% of the population is considered native Japanese, making the market less diverse than many other countries but unique. In Japan, many Western social media platforms are very popular, as are several microblogging and smaller local platforms.
Brands can find marketing opportunities across all social media platforms. If you’re looking for a quick summary of the top Japanese influencers by platform, you can also see our other articles on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch
Social Media in Japan Top Platforms 2024
1. LINE Japan (96 million)
LINE is Japan’s most popular social media app, with 96 million monthly active users. It offers a wide range of features other than messaging, including LINE Games, LINE Manga, LINE Shopping, LINE Pay, and LINE Today (News). LINE became popular after the 2011 earthquake when it helped families stay in touch via the Internet. Its success is partly due to its Japanese uniqueness, regularly releasing stickers, themes, and games that match Japanese trends and festivals. With over 70% of the Japanese population using it, LINE is used by all ages.
Many brands use LINE Official Accounts for customer service and retention. However, many of these brands only post on their LINE official account page a few times monthly or yearly. Most interactions happen through the chat function and push notifications. Some companies use chatbots to automate customer interactions and provide quicker responses. Using a LINE Official Account lets businesses talk to customers, share updates, and build a loyal following directly on the platform
LINE Ads are often used to reach a large audience, but many brands prefer Meta Ads for better targeting. LINE mainly focuses on the mass market. Paid advertising on LINE helps businesses reach more people and promote their products or services.
| Gender | % of LINE users |
| Male | 55% |
| Female | 45% |
2. YouTube (79.4 million)
YouTube is a widely used video platform in Japan, with 79.4 million users. It offers an array of videos, including influencer content, educational, fashion, games, beauty, daily news, anime, and comedy, contributing significantly to social media usage in Japan. YouTube is the source of many viral trends in Japan, such though based on fashion, fitness and food videos, where creators showcase their skills and share tutorials with viewers. The fact that it’s free and has a lot of interesting content makes it one of Japan’s most-used platforms. Many Japanese households use YouTube like TV, which has long dominated Japanese media.
While younger generations tend to have a high usage rate of YouTube, a high percentage of those aged 40-49 are also active on YouTube. Since the pandemic, Japanese users have continued to watch YouTube content on TV with their families and partners rather than just on their phones or tablets. After the stay-at-home trend, artists and celebrities created YouTube channels to connect with fans, and Japanese users have continued to consume YouTube content. Collaborating with Japanese YouTube influencers is a great way to promote your brand or products to reach your desired audience.
Influencer marketing on YouTube Japan helps businesses reach specific audiences through popular social media personalities who promote products in a genuine way. Long-tail marketing videos focus on niche topics and target specific groups, building engagement and loyalty over time. Paid advertising and collaborations like this are key methods for businesses to quickly reach a larger audience, with targeted promotions that boost brand visibility. Japanese influencers tend to be more expensive than their Western counterparts, as many brands compete for the same influencers.
| Gender | % of YouTube users |
| Male | 54% |
| Female | 46% |
3.X Twitter (67 million)
X (formerly Twitter) has a large and active user base in Japan, with 67 million social media users. It’s often used for news, information, and communication and is one of only two countries where X is more popular than Facebook. X has been fully localised for the Japanese market, featuring a wide range of Japanese content. Japanese people have long enjoyed the anonymity of X, where users do not need to use their real names. Many Japanese people use X to search for the latest trends, news and other information.
X in Japan is most popular among users aged 20 to 49 years old and is split fairly evenly between males and females, with a slight male skew. X users in Japan tend to be relatively affluent, highly educated with a higher percentage of users in higher income brackets.
Businesses can successfully use X in Japan as a marketing channel by having unique and authentic Japanese content. At JapanBuzz, we often collaborate with KOL on Twitter and have had success with our clients in doing so. When running KOL campaigns on Twitter in Japan, it’s important to work with someone who knows the methods needed to make posts go viral. Brands can also run ads on Twitter to reach a targeted audience.
| Gender | % of X (Twitter) users |
| Male | 60% |
| Female | 40% |
4. Instagram (66 million)
Instagram is Japan’s most popular photo and video-sharing app, with 66 million users. It’s popular among younger and mid-aged generations for personal sharing and following celebrities and influencers. Japanese users rely on Instagram to stay updated on their favourite influencers, connect with others with similar interests, and discover new content. The platform’s image-heavy nature and detailed description features make it ideal for marketing and engaging specific target groups across various social media channels.
Japan creates nearly 7 million Instagram stories daily, making it the second-highest engagement worldwide. The platform’s focus on images and detailed descriptions helps users discover and share information. Recently, Meta has been promoting viral content on a larger scale, so we can expect to see more content of this nature created in Japan, similar to TikTok.
Japanese influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach specific audiences by collaborating with top Japanese influencers on Instagram. This type of marketing has been very popular for many foreign brands in Japan.
Businesses can also engage with users and create visually appealing content using promotional videos and images. Meta paid advertising can play a key role in your strategy, allowing companies to quickly reach a wider audience and increase brand visibility on Instagram.
| Gender | % of Instagram users in Japan |
| Male | 43% |
| Female | 57% |
5. TikTok (27 Million)
TikTok, the entertainment-focused platform, quickly gained popularity in Japan, with 27 million users. It is especially popular among teenagers, with over 7 million of them creating and watching short videos on various topics. TikTok’s unique algorithm and youthful influencers contribute to its rapid growth, attracting more users from different age groups in recent years.
The platform stands out for its high-quality content and engaging user experience, making it a powerful tool for brands looking to reach younger audiences through influencer marketing and promotional videos.
TikTok is a valuable platform for businesses considering social media marketing in Japan. Collaborating with Japanese TikTok influencers can quickly spread awareness of your brand. Many new Japanese content creators on TikTok appear each month, so it’s a good platform to monitor.
| Gender | % of TikTok users in Japan |
| Male | 55% |
| Female | 45% |
5. Facebook (26 Million)
With 26 million internet users in Japan, Facebook is used mainly for business networking and personal connections. It has a strong following among individuals aged 30-50, surpassing its popularity among younger generations. The platform’s use of real names makes it effective for professional networking, sometimes even more so than LinkedIn in Japan.
Facebook is a valuable B2B marketing channel, allowing businesses to establish themselves in the Japanese market through promotional and paid advertising.
| Gender | % of Facebook users |
| Male | 57% |
| Female | 43% |
6. Pinterest (9 Million)
Pinterest has an active user base of 9 million in Japan, made up of designers, artists, and individuals looking for creative inspiration. The platform allows users to collect and share images, making it an excellent place to showcase well-designed products. Pinterest is popular among those seeking creative ideas and inspiration, offering a unique space for businesses to find visual content.
8. Twitch (4.1 Million)
Twitch, owned by Amazon, is a live-streaming platform popular in Japan, particularly among the gaming community. Users can stream and watch a wide range of content, mainly focused on video game streaming. Viewers can interact with streamers through live chat features and support their favourite streamers through subscriptions and donations.
Twitch is popular in Japan, mainly because of the large gaming community and the fun, interactive experience it offers. It competes with local sites like NicoNico Douga and OPENREC.tv. Twitch also has music, art, and chat streams that many people enjoy. The popularity of gaming and esports in Japan also keeps Twitch relevant.
7. Linkedin (3 Million)
LinkedIn is a global social media platform catering specifically to businesses, with 3 million users in Japan. It is widely used for recruitment, as profiles typically include a user’s real name, company, position, and work history. LinkedIn is also a good branding tool for businesses looking to expand their presence in the international market. Despite its smaller user base in Japan, LinkedIn is valuable for professional networking and business development.
LinkedIn in Japan is mainly used by internationally-minded professionals and businesses for hiring, networking, and business growth. Although it has fewer users in Japan than other social networks, LinkedIn is still useful for professionals to connect with others in their field and for companies to grow internationally.
There are also some local competitors such as Wantedly which focuses more on jobs.
9. Note (45 Million Visitors)
Note, is a website that allows Japanese users to create their own niche blogs and have discussion. It’s a popular platform in Japan, and users create Notes on various topics such as travel, diaries, child-rearing, food, business and hobbies. Users can monetise their content by setting up a paid subscription model for their followers. Note is a versatile platform, and recently, many corporate businesses have started to write blogs on the platform. Note Japan can be used as a way to get your brand known among niche business and lifestyle communities.
10. Ameblo (75 Million Visitors)
Ameblo is a popular blogging platform in Japan that was created by CyberAgent in 2004. Although its popularity has decreased in recent years, many active bloggers remain on the platform. On Ameblo, you can still find influencers, celebrities, diaries, and business blogs. Often, Ameblo can be a good place for creating long-tail content for your business.
Japanese social media trends to look out for in 2024
1. Using AI Tools to boost performance
AI-smart Social Media tools that help with both the creation and analysis of social media will continue to boom this year. By using AI and data analytics, marketers can create more relevant and engaging content for Japanese users. ChatGPT is very popular in Japan, though the Japanese version is not quite as developed as the English language version.
2. Influencer marketing and Niche digital creators
Influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2024. Big social media influencers and traditional media figures will still impact Japanese users’ buying choices. However, creators with smaller followings who focus on specific niches and share relatable content are likely to build more engaged audiences. By working with these niche creators, brands can connect more authentically with loyal customers.
3. Customer service through social media
Since the pandemic, many brands in Japan have shifted their focus on customer service to online channels. Due to the accessible, real-time and convenient nature of communication through social media messaging apps like LINE and Instagram, there is likely to be a continued increase in uptake of such channels as a customer service tool.
4. Japanese Social Media SEO
Social media SEO is a technique that involves optimising content to rank higher in search results. Methods for doing this include including relevant Japanese keywords, hashtags, links, and content. Understanding the Japanese social media landscape is essential for optimizing content and achieving higher search rankings.
5. Sustainability
Brands in Japan will continue to make customers aware of sustainability goals, such as using environmentally friendly practices, social programs, and sustainable materials. By showcasing sustainability brands can build trust and loyalty, which will increase customer engagement and sales.
Conclusion
The first step to running successful campaigns in Japan is to choose a Japanese agency. Choosing a Japanese agency has many benefits like cultural understanding, language expertise, local experience, networks, and support. It’s a good choice for businesses entering or expanding in Japan.
If you’re looking to establish a strong online presence and connect with your target audience in Japan, our team is ready to help you achieve your goals. With our expertise in the Japanese market and deep understanding of the social media landscape, we can provide tailored solutions to suit your business needs. Please feel to get in touch to learn more about how we can help your business suceed in Japan.
