Who are the Main Consumers of K-Pop in Japan?

Hallyu and the spread of K-Pop are known to have originated in Japan. The Hallyu wave is still as strong as ever in Japan, so Oricon‘s weekly magazine, “Original Confidence,” decided to hold a survey to research the main consumer base of Hallyu content.

Out of the 4,938 participants, research showed that the Japanese Hallyu fanbase was comprised primarily of women. While women took up 74% of the survey, men took up 26%. Interestingly enough, the age range for both men and women came out to be in the 40’s.

When asked where they got their K-Pop news and information, many listed informational TV shows, music programs, YouTube, family and friends, and stories they heard from people they know. On the other hand, Japanese fans kept themselves updated on Japanese artists through music programs, official homepages, informational TV shows, and portal sites.

The magazine reported, “J-Pop fans primarily get their updated news on their favorite artists through their official homepages and news sites while K-Pop fans stay updated through video sharing sites, the focus primarily being on the singing and performance aspect of the artists. The impressive visual aspect of K-Pop brings out the consumer side of those in their 40’s.”