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[Global Viewer - Data on people living overseas] Consumption in Japan by tourists visiting Japan

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The number of foreign visitors to Japan from abroad exceeded 36 million in FY2024. This is the highest number ever recorded, surpassing the number before Corona.
By country, the number of visitors to Japan from East Asia remains high, with China, South Korea, and Taiwan topping the list.

Which East Asian country has the highest intention to visit Japan?

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Figure 1 : Intention to visit Japan within the next 12 months(Base: Men and women aged 18-64 in each country)
(Source: Intage Global Viewer (2024))

What do visitors from other countries want to buy in Japan?

What kind of consumer behavior do people from East Asian countries who want to visit Japan expect in Japan?
In the past, many cosmetics, daily necessities, and confectioneries were purchased by Chinese visitors to Japan, but what kind of needs exist today?

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Figure 2 : Items purchased in Japan by intenders (Base : Intenders in each country)
(Source: Intage Global Viewer (2024))

While there are differences in what visitors to Japan are looking for in each country, Taiwanese visitors' needs for “food” and “medicines and daily necessities” are particularly high.
In particular, health supplements, eye drops, cold remedies, herbal medicines, and other third-class medicines that can be easily purchased at drugstores are the most popular items.
Taiwanese people are highly health-conscious, and Taiwan is one of the countries where various initiatives using preventive medicine and health foods are routinely practiced.
Taiwan is ranked number one in Numbeo's Health Care Index by Country 2025.
https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings_by_country.jsp

Against the backdrop of this high level of health consciousness, we believe that consumption needs for “pharmaceuticals and daily necessities” are expanding in Japan.

Reasons why Taiwanese visitors to Japan buy medicines and daily necessities in Japan

So, what do Taiwanese visitors to Japan look for in Japanese “medicines and daily necessities?

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Figure 3 : Reasons for purchasing medicines and daily necessities (Base: Those who intend to purchase medicines and daily necessities)
(Source: Intage Global Viewer (2024))

In addition to the obvious quality, the endorsement of “Japanese brands” seems to be an important factor for Taiwanese visitors to Japan.
Another reason cited was that “Japanese brands are popular and talked about in their home country,” suggesting a virtuous cycle in which “Japanese brands become a hot topic in the local market, stimulating further consumption.

The supplement market in Taiwan is expected to continue to expand due to the high level of health consciousness.
There may be business opportunities for “health foods from Japan” to spread locally, triggered by inbound sales.

Translated with AI Translator

What is Global Viewer?

A service that provides reports tailored to your needs, using questionnaire data on the various circumstances and attitudes of consumers in 11 countries (Asia and the US) that INTAGE has in stock.
The items covered include 400 items on the actual circumstances and attitudes of consumers regarding various product and service categories (*), as well as their values and information contact.


(*) Examples of categories:
Food and beverages, personal care and cosmetics, household care, childcare and nursing care, mobility, home appliances, smart homes, housing, entertainment content (games, music, etc.), finance, insurance, travel (inbound to Japan), online services, etc.


In addition to the country-by-country comparison analysis introduced in this article, it is also possible to conduct analysis by attribute (sex, age, income, etc.) within a single country.


For details, click here.

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  • Intage Inc

    Author profile
    Kenichiro Takahashi

    After working on a number of global research projects in the mobility industry, he has been involved in overseas business promotion, the development of global research services, and the development of new solutions since 2023.

  • Intage Inc

    Editor profile
    Risa Takahama

    In charge of creating the Global Market Surfer website.
    After mainly working on supporting overseas marketing research for Japanese consumer goods manufacturers, she is currently developing solutions for overseas marketing research for Japanese companies and disseminating information externally through seminars and other means.

  • Feb 12, 2025
  • 1833 Views

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