Welcome to Tokyo: Episode I

by Keanu Newman, Director of Business Operations, Asia-Pacific

8:00AM.

Rush-hour on the Yamanote-sen, one of Tokyo’s busiest train lines with roughly 4 million daily passengers. As I head towards the office, I can’t help but notice silence as everyone stares face-down at their smartphones…scrolling, reading, messaging.

Japan is one of the top mobile advertising industries in the world according to numerous sources such as Forbes, Dentsu, and eMarketer. Industry success is attributed to the following:

• Due to a strong history of building high-quality technology, Japan serves as a mobile app development hub
• Cultural tendencies toward extreme media activity are heavily influenced by trending bandwagon effects, especially among the youth
• High percentages of app installations, as the average Japanese person spends 3 hours a day on their phone
• Japanese custom, as it is often considered rude to talk in public areas (such as trains, buses, and certain restaurants), which influences the public to spend time on their phones as an alternative
• An overall willingness to spend money in-app, more prominently due to a gaming culture which is seen as an escape from stressful lifestyles and long commutes

This culture has caught the attention of advertisers, with nearly half of Japan’s overall digital advertising spend dedicated to mobile.

With regards to blockchain, Japanese companies are highly receptive of adChain. Regarding ad fraud, Japan leads the way when compared to other countries, with levels of ad fraud as high as 81% in Programmatic Desktop; therefore, alternatives to current solutions are encouraged. It is also seen as praiseworthy for MetaX to expand operations into Asia-Pacific for establishing an entity in Japan is extremely difficult due to language barriers and differences in business culture.

My focus the past two months has been to help legally register MetaX as a company in Japan and connect with blockchain and digital advertising industry-folk. I have felt welcomed by the community and am excited to continue adapting to the local customs. I look forward to attending Japan IT Week — Osaka and Japan Blockchain Conference — Yokohama to close out January 2019. I will continue having conversations in order to better understand the needs of the advertising industry in Japan and further evangelize adChain.