State of the Nation: Japan Is Back, Again
When I moved to Japan in May 2002 everybody said that I was making the wrong move: Japan is done and China is the future. More than 20 years later I am extremely happy that I’ve made that ‘wrong move’ and that Japan is the place to be (again) after the geopolitical tables are turned upside down in the covid aftermath.
First of all Japan is simply one of the best countries to live in; the friendliest, politest, weirdest people who make the best food in a safe and open environment with clean TOTO toilets in one of the most creative cultural and inspiring capitals in the world: Tokyo.
Secondly the numbers speak for themselves. Japan is still the 3rd largest economy and one of the largest advertising spending nations in the world. In comparison, the city of Tokyo itself already has a higher GDP than most Asian countries.
And Japan is hot. The number of visitors to Japan has exploded with year-on-year growth of 20%, growing towards 60M/year in the coming years. The creative scene exploded because of the influx of foreign creatives coming to Japan. Our UltraSuperNew gallery on the first floor of our agency in Harajuku is bursting with energy with many (mainly digital art) exhibitions and soon we will also offer an artist-in-residence. Also global initiatives such as Bright Moments are making noise in Tokyo with many exhibitions and networking all around Shibuya, stimulated by the former Hakuhodo ad-man and progressive mayor of Shibuya, Ken Hasebe.
Japan's rich cultural heritage and unique artistic traditions serve as inspiration for artists, offering many creative possibilities. The vibrant art communities found in key cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka provide a platform for networking, collaboration, and exposure to diverse artistic perspectives. Foreign artists have the opportunity to connect with local talents, participate in exhibitions, and immerse themselves in the dynamic creative scene that thrives in the communities.
Japan's technological advancements, particularly in digital art, animation, and virtual reality, contribute to innovation and artistic exploration. Major Japanese companies such as Sony, Panasonic etc are providing hard- and software to support the growth of this movement led by Japanese artists collectives such as Teamlab and Rhizomatiks.
This creative boom influenced the Japanese millennial generation, who are creating change in Japanese culture and clearly breaking down some old-school sentiments in Japanese culture which we can see in the strategy and creative work for the brands we work for. For SKYN condoms for example the focus is on creating a ‘softer relationship’ among couples versus the outdated male-dominated and distorted view on sex. Also our alcohol FMCG clients see a big shift in drinking habits: Japanese millennials no longer want to binge drink with their bosses and colleagues but want to stay away from alcohol and make their own choices.
This more outspoken millennial generation is also leading to a wave of new Japanese entrepreneurs and Japan is aiming for ‘100 Unicorns’ by 2027, which is already causing luxury brands to shift their focus to these entrepreneurs as influencers.
These entrepreneurs also know that with the decline of the Japanese population foreign expansion is crucial to keep the growth momentum, which causes a more open outward view of the world and the creation of allies in the region. South-Korea is a logical step as a neighbour with similar consumer demographics. Also the young generation is finally moving beyond the Second World War pain and artists such as the rapper Kohh are collaborating with Korean rappers scoring hits with multilingual tracks in Japanese and Korean.
I was blown-away when I saw a full Singapore National stadium with 50,000 young Singaporeans singing the Japanese lyrics of a song from Japanese band One OK Rock at the top of their voices. Currently the Super Mario Bros Movie is expected to break movie records to cross $1B global in 26 days.
And now even the impossible seems to be possible: Japanese politicians are becoming progressive and forward thinking: young politicians finally leaving the bubble years behind and even the ruling political party the LDP led by prime-minister Kishida recently approved plans to make Japan the world’s leading Web3 nation with crypto tax regulation and special metaverse economic zones. The plans were based on a whitepaper written by a team of industry specialists such as Joi Ito and politicians chaired by Akihisa Shiozaki.
The title of the whitepaper? “Japan is back, again”
