Japan

Overall demand for fish and seafood remains subdued in 2023, mainly driven by a decline in retail volume sales due to increasing prices. Impacted by the soaring cost of oil, the average retail unit price of fish and seafood recorded a double-digit…

Total volume sales of fresh food in Japan continue to record marginal growth in 2023, mainly driven by foodservice as the channel recovers from the significant drop during the pandemic. Foodservice volume sales suffered as COVID-19 first hit Japan,…

Total volume sales of fruits in Japan continue to rebound in 2023, mainly driven by foodservice’s performance following the channel’s strong declines during the pandemic. Foodservice volume sales of fruits had suffered throughout 2020 and 2021, when…

Total demand for meat in Japan has remained fairly stable in 2023, supported by the ongoing recovery of foodservice sales, which is offsetting the decline in retail. Like many categories, foodservice volume sales of meat experienced significant…

Total volume of nuts in Japan are gradually rising in 2023, mainly driven by the rebound in foodservice demand. Foodservice volume sales had suffered throughout 2020 and 2021 with Japan following quasi-states of emergency and states of emergency.…

Total volume sales of pulses in Japan continue to grow in 2023, albeit slowly, mainly driven by the further rebound of foodservice. Throughout 2020 and 2021, foodservice volume sales of pulses in Japan suffered, as several cities, such as Tokyo,…

Total demand for starchy roots in Japan continues to improve in 2023, mainly driven by foodservice and retail channels. Like many categories of fresh food, foodservice volume sales of starchy roots experienced significant declines at the height of…

Total demand for sugar and sweeteners in Japan remains stable in 2023 compared to the previous year, with foodservice volume sales partially offsetting the decline in retail volume sales. Foodservice volume sales had suffered throughout 2020 and…

Overall demand for vegetables in Japan continues to increase in 2023, mainly driven by the more impressive performance by foodservice. Like many other categories of fresh food, foodservice sales of vegetables in Japan suffered significant declines at…

Currently, there are no sales of medical cannabis in Japan, although the illegal cannabis market continues to grow, along with legal CBD & other non-intoxicating cannabinoids. However, an amendment to Japan’s Cannabis Control Law was passed in…

Tourism was one of the industries that was significantly impacted by COVID-19, as border restrictions were tightened globally. Many consumers also refrained from taking domestic trips in the first phase of the pandemic. There were multiple forms of…

Jewellery is set to maintain growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, with growth for both costume and fine jewellery, although this will slow compared with previous years. Polarisation has continued in jewellery in Japan in 2023,…

In 2023, there was a symbolic pivot in how Japan faced COVID-19. It was in May that the government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 from a Class 2 infectious disease to a Class 5 infectious disease. Class 2 meant it was a crucial disease…

Increasing unit prices has been a decades-long trend in traditional watches. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, unit prices rose by over 10% YoY from 2020 to 2022. The last decade also saw numerous years of volume decline. A main reason behind…

According to Euromonitor’s Economies and Consumers data, the population aged 0-14 is set to decline by 2% between 2022 and 2023, accounting for only 11% of the total population in Japan. The total population of this age group has declined for 40…

In 2022, heightened environmental consciousness among the Japanese, coupled with the government’s goal of reducing disposable plastic waste by 25% over the next 10 years, drove various industries to switch towards sustainable packaging solutions.…

In May 2023, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to class 5, which led to a rebound in footfall for consumer foodservice. Consumers returned to going out, and enjoyed dining out. In particular, bars/pubs, which suffered…

In 2023, Japan relaxed its COVID-19 rules, which boosted the travel industry. These changes altered how people, both local and foreign visitors, viewed and approached travel, which aided recovery. In terms of local travel, COVID-19 became less of a…

Consumer foodservice continued to see strong recovery in Japan in 2023, posting double-digit growth in current value sales in line with the recovery of flows of consumers after the downgrading of the status of COVID-19. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese…

After COVID-19 was downgraded to class 5 in May 2023, consumers felt more comfortable eating out. This contributed to a sales rebound for full-service restaurants, but challenges remained. Costs continued to rise, and players continued to find it…