Market Research Companies in Japan

Key figures for researchers

Population

123.05 million (2025 census, preliminary counts)¹

Population change

-3.1 million (-2.5%) since 2020; population fell in 90.6% of municipalities (2025 census)¹

Older people

29.4% aged 65+, 17.5% aged 75+ (March 2026 estimate)²

Tokyo metropolitan area

36.99 million people, about 30.1% of the population (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba; 2025 census)¹

Households

57.1 million, 2.15 people on average (2025 census)¹

Foreign residents

2.75 million, 2.2% of the population (2020 census)³

Internet users

85.6% of individuals; over 90% of people aged 13 to 69 (2024)⁴

Going online by smartphone

74.4% of individuals, against 46.8% by computer (2024)⁴

Households with a smartphone

91.8% (2025)⁵

GDP per capita

about US$35,950 (2025)⁶

Research guide

Research landscape

Japan has a mature research industry, and Tokyo is where most projects are commissioned and coordinated: the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba) is home to 36.99 million people, about 30.1% of the population. Full-service agencies work alongside online panel companies, qualitative specialists and field suppliers in Osaka, Nagoya and other regional cities.

The industry body is the Japan Marketing Research Association (JMRA), created in 1975. It promotes ethical research, offers professional training and sets research quality standards, and in October 2026 it became a partner of the Global Data Quality initiative on data quality in market research.

Languages and fieldwork

Japanese is the fieldwork language for almost all studies, including B2B. Foreign residents were 2.2% of the population in the 2020 census, so English or other language versions are only needed for specific targets. Questionnaires written in another language should be translated by native Japanese researchers, then back-translated and checked, so that wording, politeness level and answer scales mean the same thing in both versions.

Answer scales need care in multi-country studies: an academic study (Chen, Lee and Stevenson, 1995) found that Japanese students chose the midpoint of 7-point rating scales slightly more often than North American students. Compare results across countries with this in mind, rather than reading small gaps as real differences. The population is also shrinking and concentrated: it fell by 3.1 million between 2020 and 2025, and in 90.6% of municipalities, so rural and regional quotas can take longer to fill.

Which methods work

Connectivity is very high: 85.6% of individuals use the internet, more than 90% of people aged 13 to 69, and 74.4% go online with a smartphone, against 46.8% with a computer. Online surveys using large access panels are the main method for consumer research; design questionnaires for smartphones first. Online communities and video interviews are widely used for qualitative work, alongside in-person focus groups in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

Older people need specific attention: 29.4% of the population is aged 65 and over and 17.5% is aged 75 and over, and internet use falls with age from 70 onwards. Telephone, face-to-face or postal methods remain useful for the oldest age groups, offline audiences and some B2B and healthcare targets.

Timing

Golden Week (29 April to 5 May) groups several national holidays: Showa Day (29 April), Constitution Memorial Day (3 May), Greenery Day (4 May) and Children’s Day (5 May). Obon takes place mainly from 13 to 16 August, close to Mountain Day (11 August), and the New Year period (end of December to early January) is the third major holiday season. Avoid fieldwork in these weeks or allow extra time: consumers travel and business respondents are hard to reach.

The government fiscal year starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March. B2B and public sector projects may be tied to this budget cycle, so expect busy periods for clients and agencies before the end of March, and plan approvals early.

Data protection

Personal data is governed by the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), supervised by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC). The amended APPI came into effect on 1 April 2022: it made breach reporting to the PPC mandatory in some cases (for example when more than 1,000 people are affected), with a first report ideally within 3 to 5 days and a second within 30 or 60 days, and notification of the people concerned. It also requires consent before passing personally referable information (such as browsing history collected through cookies) to a third party that can identify the person. Fines for companies can reach JPY100 million.

To transfer personal data to a third party abroad, the agency generally needs the respondent’s prior consent, after telling them the name of the country, its personal data protection system and the measures the recipient takes, unless equivalent protection is ensured by contract or the country is designated by the PPC (as the EU is). Data received from the EU or the UK under an adequacy decision follows the PPC’s Supplementary Rules. Ask your agency where the data is hosted and how recordings, video and identifiable data will be shared with you.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, regions, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask who translates and back-translates the questionnaire, and whether a native Japanese researcher reviews scales and wording.
• Ask which panels or fieldwork suppliers will be used, how older and regional respondents are reached, and how fraud and duplicates are removed.
• Agree in writing how personal data is handled under the APPI, including consent for transfers outside Japan and the retention period.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.