Behind Twitter’s Popularity in Japan

This article has been updated to include recently received insights.

With around 47% of the population logging in on a regular basis, Japan is the second largest market for Twitter outside of the United States. So for brands looking to grow their presence in Japan, Twitter is a highly attractive channel.

What makes Twitter tick in Japan

It was after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that usage in Japan soared as people turned to Twitter and other social platforms to reach out to friends and loved ones. One hour after the quake hit that day, a reported 1200 tweets were sent every minute.

In 2012, Twitter usage was so en masse that the entire service crashed worldwide due to users in Japan tweeting New Year messages at the exact same time.

Today, the number of active monthly users in Japan has skyrocketed to 59 million—behind only messaging app Line with 86 million and Youtube, which has 102 million users.

Twitter’s popularity in Japan appears to come down to a mix of user anonymity, ease of receiving and sharing information, and its usefulness as a tool for communicating during emergencies. 

But there are a few other things about Twitter use in Japan that brands should understand.

User behavior

The platform is now mainly used to share information about daily life, transportation delays, the weather, comment on the news, gossip about and follow celebrities, catch up on trends, comment during sports games late at night, and scout for freebies, promotions, and campaigns by popular lifestyle brands.

Twitter user behavior is all about keeping up and sharing, so brands that report information and update their audience often may benefit greatly from the platform. 

Some of the biggest Twitter accounts in Japan are a reflection of this desire for information sharing and communication.

Data sourced from Twitter ranking site Meyou (August 2022)

What works and what doesn’t

There are great differences in user segmentation and user behavior across all the major social networks in Japan, meaning that success on Twitter isn't just about throwing something online and waiting for people to notice and interact with it.

Content you might expect to perform well on Facebook or Instagram is not guaranteed to do well on Twitter. For Twitter, particularly, content needs to be timely, share-worthy, add value, or at least be useful in a major way. Content that’s season-specific and reflects people’s typical daily routines works well too. This is quite unlike Instagram, where browsing for inspiration, visual gratification, and discovering lifestyle trends and new products is enough and is what most people are on there for.

An example of a brand doing great work on Twitter Japan is Nestle's KitKat Japan account. It builds on the brand’s popularity by keeping followers updated with the latest news relating to KitKat and engaging them with polls about their numerous unique flavors, fond memories of eating KitKat, and what wacky new flavors they would like to see launched next.

Advice for brands in Japan

Integrate your strategy

Brands looking to utilize Twitter in Japan cannot rely entirely on organic reach and empty hashtags (which do nothing to help reach ideal audiences). It’s a painful fact that organic reach on Twitter has plummeted close to the depths of Facebook’s meager 6–10% over the past few years.

A more integrated approach with paid and organic activations will likely be more effective, especially if the target audience is broad. Vast numbers of users are easily reachable, but Twitter’s ad targeting tools are very limited, so reaching niche audiences can be difficult.

Reaching niche audiences

Brands wanting to engage more defined audiences on Twitter in Japan should try jumping in on trending conversations. Naturally, this tactic isn’t for all. It can be risky, so the most important thing here is tracking trending conversations that are relevant and appropriate to the brand’s values and identity. Also, be aware of the mood and sediment around the chatter and gauge which users and influencers have a good share of voice before jumping in and engaging with them.

Establish a position on Twitter

Because Twitter is all about gaining quick access and sharing information that’s relevant and useful, it is imperative for brands to evaluate their position on Twitter. Decide what specific service they are providing to their audience and why people would be inclined to share or talk about the brand and its content.

Another rookie error is not doing the requisite homework to understand the audience. Just because there are tons of Twitter users in Japan doesn’t mean they are sitting around just waiting for a brand to tweet. In fact, quite the opposite—that is, unless it is clearly understood that there is something for them to gain from the experience.

Based in Tokyo, An-yal is the leading independent advertising agency for global lifestyle brands in Japan and worldwide. Contact us to get ahead with your integrated marketing and creative needs.