One of the biggest challenges facing global companies looking to do research in Japan is recruitment. With a lack of Japanese respondents on online research panels, and a high language barrier, finding high quality respondents can be challenging.
This article will identify some tips to guide you in the right direction when recruiting users for research in Japan.
1 - Recruit Native Participants Living in Japan
While this might seem like a no-brainer, companies often rely on user testing tools like usertesting.com, or international research panels to find Japanese users. As these services are not available in Japanese, the Japanese respondents on these panels are usually foreigners living in Japan, or Japanese people living abroad.
Foreign residents of Japan make up less than 2% of the population, and have very different life experiences and perspectives to the average Japanese, so they cannot be considered representative.
Likewise, Japanese people living overseas tend to have a more international perspectives than those living in Japan. According to data from 2023, only 17% of Japanese people have passports, reflecting how the majority of the population has limited experience abroad.
2 - Don't limit your search to Tokyo
While Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world and offers a diverse variety of research participants, Japan's different regions have unique cultures and environments, and it is worth taking advantage of this diversity when conducting online research.
For example, the lifestyles of those living in Sapporo, the fourth largest city in Japan, are very different as the city is one of the snowiest cities in the world. Conversely, those in the very south prefecture of Okinawa are known to have a more laid back attitude and more exposure to Western culture than those on the mainland.
Due to this, it is can be a good idea to conduct research with respondents from all over the country depending on your research goals.
3 - Don't worry about no-shows
While no-shows are a common occurrence in many countries, Japanese respondents tend to stick to their word and very rarely fail to show up for a research interview.
After conducting hundreds of research interviews, we can count on one hand the number of times a participant has failed to show up, and most of those times were because they genuinely forgot or misunderstood the interview time.
Due to this, it is generally not necessary to prepare backup participants in advance, except for focus groups, where it can be good to have 1 or 2 extras in case of last minute cancellations.
4 - Provide extensive information in advance
While Japanese participants are unlikely to not show up, you need to keep your end of the bargain by ensuring that they can trust you. It is common to provide very extensive information in advance of a research session, outlining what the participant should expect - everything from the general content of the research session, what they need to prepare, how to access the research facility or download/connect to the online interview tool etc.
Need help recruiting research participants in Japan? We can help you recruit participants that meet your requirements, and also assist with research facilitation and analysis.
