YouTube user trends in Japan 2024

Number of YouTube users 

YouTube is the most used video streaming app in Japan. In fact, Google reports that the potential audience reached using advertisements in Japan is around 78.6 million users. To put this into perspective, the Japanese population (at time of writing) is just over 126 million. This means that Youtube ad penetration sits at just over 63.9% of the population, which is staggering.

Demographics of active users

Users are spending a lot of time on the app. The average time spent on Youtube per user is 21.4 hours per month in Japan which is the highest on any video streaming platform. User demographics on Youtube are also fairly representative as it reports that 48.2% of its ad audience is female and 51.8% is male. 

What people are searching for on Youtube

In 2023, the following were the most popular keywords on Youtube translated into English (see the original here).

Unique features of YouTube

According to a 2022 statistics report, 30% of the Japanese tend to use YouTube on a daily basis. Hence, it is not a surprise that people saying the channel motivated them to purchase a product. When looking at product posts on social platforms, the people in the survey said that the most motivating items were “detailed reviews” and this is not so easy with text and static images as users lose interest quickly. On the other side of the fence, video can offer a large and detailed amount of information whilst holding the viewer’s attention and is why YouTube is crucial in motivating people to purchase products.

YouTube offers a media alternative to television and when looking at the evidence available, it is likely that this trend will continue to rise. Understanding this is essential when entering or working with the Japanese market.