Snapping Photos in Tokyo Wearing Uniqlo and Drinking Asahi Beer: "What's No Japan?" A Shift in Consumer Trends

Sharp Drop in Active Boycott Participation: 41.9% to 8.6%
"Personal Choice and Preference" Cited as Main Reason

A recent survey has found that the fervor for the "No Japan" boycott movement against Japanese products, which once spread widely in South Korea, is quickly waning. The proportion of respondents willing to actively participate in the boycott has dropped to one-fifth of what it was about five years ago. In contrast, more people now perceive a prevailing "Yes Japan" sentiment.

According to the "2026 Survey on Perceptions of Japanese Products and Content Consumption" conducted by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor on July 8, which targeted 1,000 men and women aged 19 to 59 nationwide, only 8.6% responded that they would "continue to actively participate" in the Japanese product boycott as of May this year, down sharply from 41.9% in December 2020. Meanwhile, the share of respondents stating they "no longer intend to participate" rose more than fourfold from 10.2% to 42.7% during the same period.

Those in their 20s and 30s who indicated they would stop participating in the boycott accounted for 55.6% and 47.2%, respectively. In their 40s and 50s, the rates were 35.6% and 32.4%. On the other hand, the proportion of respondents who said they would continue the boycott was higher among those in their 40s (12.4%) and 50s (10.4%) than among those in their 20s (4.4%) and 30s (7.2%). This suggests that younger generations are losing interest in the boycott much more rapidly.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

'No Japan' Loses Steam While 'Yes Japan' Rises... Reluctance to Japanese Consumption Drops Significantly

The most common reason cited for the declining willingness to participate was "purchasing products is a matter of personal choice and taste," at 33.7% (multiple answers allowed). This was followed by "I have lost interest and become indifferent," at 28.4%.

Similarly, 55.2% of respondents said they do not feel any discomfort or aversion when seeing posts on social networking services (SNS) of others traveling to Japan or purchasing Japanese products.

The share of respondents who believe the boycott against Japanese products should continue has also steadily declined, from 42.0% in 2022 to 21.6% in 2024 and 15.1% this year. A total of 43.1% of all respondents said the current atmosphere is closer to "Yes Japan" than "No Japan."

The import volume of Japanese beer has surpassed the level before the boycott movement and continues to rise. Photo is not directly related to the article content. Photo by Moon Honam

As the Boycott Cools, Japanese Brands Make a Comeback... Beer and Uniqlo Surge Together

The No Japan movement initially spread nationwide in 2019, triggered by Japan’s export restrictions on South Korea. At the time, the boycott of Japanese products and the trend of refraining from travel to Japan severely hurt sales of Japanese apparel brands such as Uniqlo, as well as Japanese beer and automobile sales.

Recently, however, the situation has reversed. This shift is evident in various indicators.

According to the "2026 Import Food Inspection Annual Report" by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, last year’s Japanese beer imports totaled 100,322 tons, up 22% from the previous year. This marks the first time annual imports of Japanese beer have exceeded 100,000 tons. After plummeting to just 50,860 tons in 2019 due to the No Japan movement, imports have rebounded, surpassing pre-boycott levels by a large margin seven years later.

Japanese brands have also regained their presence in the apparel market. According to WiseApp·Retail, Uniqlo’s estimated monthly payment amount in May this year was 323.5 billion won, surging 93% year-on-year to reach an all-time high. Compared to May 2022, when the figure stood at 52.6 billion won, this represents growth of more than sixfold in four years.

Changing Perceptions Toward Japan... Travel Remains Popular

This transformation appears to be driven by changing perceptions of Japan and increased bilateral exchanges between the two countries.

According to a "Media Opinion Poll on Japan" released by the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association in February, 56.4% of Koreans surveyed said they had a favorable impression of Japan. This is the first time since the survey began in 2014 that the figure has exceeded 50%.

Indeed, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have soared since COVID-19 entry restrictions were eased, with travel demand steadily increasing—reaching 12 million in 2024 and surpassing 13 million last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.