A portrait of a woman holding a paper with a world map outline drawn on it, standing in front of a blue background. Representing a strategic approach in the global market.
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[Marketing Seed 132: Does Japan Coexist with Advanced and Backward Aspects? (Part 6)]

A portrait of a woman holding a paper with a world map outline drawn on it, standing in front of a blue background. Representing a strategic approach in the global market.

🌏 The Global Market Where “Sincerity” Alone Cannot Win: The “Shrewdness” Japan Needs

Japan possesses world-class technological capabilities and quality, earning high evaluations in many fields such as automobiles, precision instruments, and anime culture 😊. However, currently, it is not fully demonstrating its power to have its value properly evaluated and expand its influence in the global market. Behind this is an underestimation of the competitive environment of the international community and the assumption that “we can compete solely on sincerity and quality.”

In the modern international market, you cannot win simply by creating good products or services. What is needed is a strategy to shrewdly convey value, negotiate, and establish a brand. South Korea’s K-culture has turned music, drama, and fashion into an export industry as a national strategy, with content exports reaching approximately $13.7 billion in 2023. French luxury brands, similarly tied to national cultural policies, maintain their global brand value.

📊 Reference Data:

  • Best Global Brands (Interbrand 2023): Only two Japanese companies in the top 50 (Toyota 6th, Sony 42nd).

  • South Korea’s K-POP export-related market size: Expanded by about 8 times compared to 2012 (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea).

  • France’s luxury export value (2022): Approx. 160 billion euros (World’s top). Reference Article: INTERBRAND “Best Global Brands 2025″

These countries utilize marketing at the national level and systematically design “how to make value recognized and how to sell it at a premium.” In contrast, Japan is still unable to break free from the illusion that “if we make good things, they will be evaluated,” and is failing to fully draw out the potential of its brands.

From now on, not only corporate-level efforts but a shared awareness across Japan to “enhance value and sell properly” is required. To achieve this, a strategy that establishes the presence of Japanese brands in the international market, armed with “shrewdness,” “negotiation power,” and “information dissemination power” in addition to “sincerity,” is indispensable.

Next time (the final installment), we will present a specific framework for building this “national-level marketing strategy” and consider what Japan should choose for the future. (To be continued) 📈✨

You might also be interested in our past articles→ [Seeds of Marketing 37: ⚠️The Psychology Behind Scam Ads (Part 1)