Japanese consumers: From homogeneity to

diversity

- Debbie Howard

(This article first appeared in the June 4, 2007 issue of The Nikkei Weekly)

T

oday’s Japanese consumer market is far more

segmented than in the past, providing clear

opportunities for better-honed marketing

strategies. The best way to describe this more varied

segmentation of the 127 million members of Japanese

society is through the colorful labels attached to them.

First is the dankai no sedai, “cluster generation,” Japan’s

post-World War II baby boomers who began turning 60

this year — as well as retiring in large numbers. Born

from 1947 to 1949, this demographic bulge represents

6.9 million consumers. It has been estimated that the

generation holds financial assets of 130 trillion yen, or

10% of Japan’s total individual financial assets.

Then there are the dankai jrs., “baby boomer juniors,”

a second demographic bulge that by one definition

represents some 18 million consumers born from 1971

to 1980. This group came of age during the depressed

1990s and early 2000s, and are now enjoying their