Korean Culture Expands Its Influence on Japan's Youth Market

South Korean popular culture is gaining a stronger foothold in Japan, influencing how younger consumers speak, shop and engage with entertainment. K-pop, television dramas and beauty products are introducing Korean expressions and brands into everyday Japanese life, with visible effects in Tokyo and Osaka.

The influence extends beyond entertainment. Korean vocabulary increasingly appears in casual conversations, television productions, food packaging and advertising, while South Korean cosmetics occupy prominent retail displays across Japan.

At @cosme, a major Japanese health-and-beauty retailer in Osaka's Umeda district, Korean brands including Innisfree, Laneige, 3CE, Fwee, Medicube and Torriden feature prominently throughout the store.

The retailer's Best Cosme Award displays also recognize several Korean products. Anua's Vitamin 10 Pore Strikes Whitening Toning Serum ranked first in the essence category for the first half of the year, while Fwee's 3D Voluming Gloss led liquid lipsticks.

In the Osaka sales rankings, a Numbers In product secured the top position in the mask pack category. D'Alba's Tone-Up UV Essence and Aestura's Atobarrier 365 Cream led their respective sunscreen and face cream categories.

South Korean beauty brands are also expanding into mainstream retail channels. FamilyMart, which operates 16,466 locations across Japan, has dedicated shelf space for Hana by Hince alongside skincare products from Anua and Numbers In.

Hana by Hince is an exclusive FamilyMart beauty brand launched by Hince last year. Its parent company, Viva Wave, operates under LG Household & Health Care.

LG H&H described the brand's positioning as maintaining Hince's established identity while reaching younger consumers through more affordable product sizes.

"Maintains Hince's signature sensibility and quality while offering mini sizes at accessible prices, earning strong popularity among local consumers in their teens and 20s," LG H&H said.

Goodai Global, the company behind Tirtir, Joseon Beauty and Skin1004, is also strengthening its Japanese presence. Its Tirtir promotional display at @cosme attracted steady customer interest.

The company's consolidated sales reached 1.47 trillion won ($1.11 billion) last year. Revenue from Japan accounted for 170.8 billion won, representing a 175 percent increase from the previous year.

Goodai Global emphasized the importance of understanding Japanese purchasing habits, particularly consumers' attention to product quality, texture and customer feedback.

"Japanese consumers scrutinize product quality and texture carefully and place great weight on reviews and word of mouth when making purchases," a Goodai Global official said.

The official also highlighted Japan's strategic importance for the company's expansion and brand development.

"Japan is an important market where we can build brand awareness and trust alongside sales growth," the official said.

Consumer interest is also helping Korean beauty products reach younger Japanese shoppers. Yuni, a 20-year-old local consumer, described how her interest in Korean aesthetics encouraged her to explore the country's cosmetics brands.

"I admire Korean aesthetics, so it started with curiosity about what Korean people actually use, and I just kept adding things one by one," Yuni said.

She identified Hera as one of her preferred brands and said she regularly uses an Es Nature face cream. She also recently purchased a product from Baiol BOH.

"I recently bought a Baiol BOH product and I've been really happy with it," she said.

The growing commercial presence is reflected in export figures. According to the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute, South Korea's cosmetics exports to Japan reached $991.22 million from January through September 2026, putting annual shipments on track to exceed the previous year's $1.09 billion.

Japan ranks as the third-largest destination for South Korean cosmetics exports, behind the United States and China. Although Japan's share of total export volume has declined slightly, the actual value of shipments continues to increase.

An industry official attributed the changing market environment to stronger interest in Korean culture among younger Japanese consumers. Japanese retailers are also becoming more receptive to Korean beauty brands, creating opportunities for smaller manufacturers.

"Japan was a tough market for K-beauty to crack, given the dominance of global players like Shiseido and the distinct preferences of local consumers," an industry official said.

The official said changing consumer preferences and stronger retail interest were helping Korean cosmetics companies establish themselves in Japan.

"The atmosphere has shifted as younger consumers have grown more interested in Korean culture," the official said.

The cultural influence is equally apparent in everyday language. Korean expressions such as jinjja, meaning really, mianhae, meaning sorry, and gwenchana, meaning it's OK, have entered conversations among some young Japanese people.

Moeka Takamatsu, a 21-year-old university student and K-pop fan in Tokyo, regularly incorporates Korean vocabulary into her speech. She also identified social media trends as an influence on her everyday use of the language.

"Even though I don't know anything about Korea, I find myself saying gwenchana quite often since it's a trend on social media," Takamatsu said.

She made the remarks during an evening visit to Shin-Okubo, a neighborhood in Tokyo's Shinjuku district known for its Korean restaurants and cosmetics shops. The area has long served as the Japanese capital's Koreatown.

The growing visibility of Korean language and culture represents a notable development given the countries' historical relationship. During Japan's colonial rule over Korea, approximately a century ago, Koreans faced pressure to adopt Japanese language and identity while their own cultural identity was suppressed.