It may seem counterintuitive for a country that is universally recognized for its tech savviness, but social media channels, and the tactics companies find so successful in western markets, can be viewed as very suspicious by Japanese consumers.

The reasons are embedded in the culture of formality and propriety in Japan. We sat down with Translation and LQA professional Akagi Kobayashi to get her take on the LQA considerations to be aware of when engaging in social media in Japan.

A snapshot of Japanese Social Media Trends

While the percentage of social media users (82.7%) is higher than the global average (77.8%), Japanese people spend just 51 minutes on social media per day – far less than the global average of 2.5 hours per day. This means you are competing for a preciously small amount of attention from each user and need to choose your apps, and your tactics, wisely.

Online Anonymity And Why Facebook is Not #1 in Japan

Western businesses are often surprised to learn Facebook is not the undisputed king of social media apps in Japan. In fact, it ranks a distant fourth on the list. Akagi points to some social reasons for this.

“Facebook requires you to use your name,”  she notes. “I think it’s a fear of losing privacy.” In fact, it’s reported that Facebook had real difficulty persuading Japanese customers to use their real names when they first launched. And that may have cost them the lead in the social media race.

“A lot of other social networks would ask you to set a handle, a name by which you appear,” Akagi points out. “Even bank apps ask you for your pseudonym. So in general, people are scared, wary of exposing their true identity.”

This leads back to a fundamental concept in Japanese culture of not drawing undo attention to yourself. “The aura or the veneer of privacy is very important in Japan as opposed to perhaps a Western viewpoint, which is far more open with identity,” Akagi adds. “People are scared about privacy and guarding their identity. I think there’s a sort of a general phobia about that.”

Respecting Cultural Boundaries to Create Social Media Growth

Akagi points out the opportunity for social media success certainly exists. “I think social media has come into the Japanese field a lot. It’s used a lot, in fact,” she remarks.

But the most successful apps and companies respect Japanese norms. Not surprisingly, apps that allow for that sense of anonymity have been far more popular. “X is very popular,” Akagi points out, “but I’m not sure how many people like to use their own name.”

Cultural Understanding and The Local Advantage

“There are sort of local brands of social media like LINE,” Akagi tells us. Part of LINE’s success is its Asian roots (it was first created by Korean search engine company Naver as a communication tool for their Japanese staff after the 2011 Tohuku earthquake and tsunami). The app makes extensive use of Anime-style stickers that users and advertisers can share and modify.

And, of course, it doesn’t require your real name. “It’s used by local retailers to attract shoppers in the area with bargains and news and so on and so forth. It may be used most in sales where retail may be involved.”

Akagi also points out that smaller social media apps focused on convenience are popular. “Restaurant search apps are extremely popular”, she says. “There are many of them.”

Even the largest convenience retailer is not immune to local competition. “Amazon is also very popular,” she says. “It’s used a lot in Japan, but there are many rival sites as well.”

Modifying Social Media to Culture: Local Apps for Local Stores

Akagi has also noticed that, while online shopping has grown and social media is popular, the Japanese tradition of shopping in person, the need for discretion and the importance placed on long-term relationships have made a particular type of app far more popular in Japan: store-specific apps.

Akagi fills in the background on the topic. “In Japan people still tend to shop in person,” she says. “Especially in towns, there’s a huge density of population, which means that there’s a density of small shops, like those convenience stores at every street corner. And you can get almost anything.”

Akagi goes on to explain how store-specific loyalty apps have flourished as a result of this personal contact. “My experience is that each shop in the mall has its own little app. So you go in there and you’re encouraged to download the app. Then once you get it, you get your marketing messages and loyalty promotions through that app.”

It’s the personal relationship dynamic, but built into the tech-blended world we all now inhabit.

Ready to Learn More?

This is Part 3 of a 3 part series. If you want to learn more about the overall philosophy of Japanese LQA, check out Part 1. And, for Some of Akagi’s best tips on Japanese LQA, see Part 2.

Still Trying to Make Japanese Social Media Work on Your Own? You Don’t Need To

As you can see from Akagi’s comments, Japanese social media has its own special formula for success. We’ve got the LQA expertise you need to evaluate your messaging and make sure it’s building the right kind of relationships. And we’d love to put that experience to work for you!

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