
TikTok Shop to launch e-commerce service in Japan as soon as this month
Japan would be the newest addition to a list of countries where the service is available, including the U.S. and the Philippines.
How TikTok Shop will perform in the Japanese e-commerce market, which has been dominated by Amazon Japan and Rakuten, will be in focus once the service begins.
TikTok Shop, which allows users to purchase products promoted in a video or livestream on one's feed or through the Shop tab directly in the app, has managed to become a powerhouse in the e-commerce market since it was first launched in 2021.
In the U.K., one of the first regions where the service was introduced, there was a 131% annual increase in the number of shoppers at the end of 2024 along with a year-on-year rise of 180% in revenue.
The service's unique feature allowing users to directly buy products on the app without having to jump to an external site makes shopping easier. TikTok receives handling charges from businesses selling their products on the platform.
According to the Japan External Trade Organization, the app has over 33 million monthly users in Japan, with an average screen time of 96 minutes per day — higher than other social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.
In Japan, TikTok has generated ¥237.5 billion ($1.64 billion) in estimated consumption, having contributed ¥485.5 billion to the country's nominal gross domestic product during 2024, it said.
With around 60% of users on the app being between the ages of 18 and 34, TikTok Shops have a particularly strong reach when it comes to younger demographics. In countries where the service is already available, the platform is often used to sell products such as cosmetics, clothes and diet supplements.
As anticipation for the Japan launch builds up, many advertisement companies are jumping on the bandwagon to provide support for businesses to sell on the new platform.
Major Japanese ad agency Hakuhodo and Dentsu Group subsidiary Septeni Japan each launched a new service last month that helps clients in setting up shop on TikTok as well as marketing and increasing traction for their advertisements.
MicroAd, another advertisement company, on Tuesday set up a new subsidiary called Universe Pulse, which will specialize in assisting businesses on TikTok Shop Japan. Artificial intelligence technology company Niusia launched a 24-hour AI call center service last month that utilizes AI agents to help businesses answer questions from clients regarding their TikTok Shop products and operations.
TikTok has been working to expand its e-commerce presence in recent months, having also introduced its TikTok Shop in Mexico, Brazil and France, among other countries, so far this year.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

17 minutes ago
Renesas Suffers 1st Jan-June Net Loss in 6 Years
News from Japan Technology Jul 25, 2025 19:01 (JST) Tokyo, July 25 (Jiji Press)--Renesas Electronics Corp. said Friday that the major Japanese semiconductor producer suffered a group net loss of 175.3 billion yen for the first half of the current business year through December, logging the first January-June red ink in six years. Renesas saw its bottom line swing from 139.5 billion yen in the black a year earlier due chiefly to an appraisal loss of 235 billion yen caused by the failure of its U.S. partner chipmaker Wolfspeed Inc., which last month filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Renesas had made a deposit of 2 billion dollars with Wolfspeed to procure chip substrate. Half-year consolidated sales dropped 10.7 pct to 634.3 billion yen, reflecting weaker chip demand from automakers and industrial equipment manufacturers. During an online briefing, Renesas President and CEO Hidetoshi Shibata hailed the latest Japan-U.S. tariff agreement. But he also expressed concern over the uncertain impact of the 15 pct U.S. tariff rate to be applied to Japanese imports on his firm's earnings. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press


The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Tokyo stocks retreat after Japan-US trade deal jump
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks fell Friday as investors locked in gains after the Nikkei index surged more than 2,000 points over the past two sessions on a Japan-U.S. trade deal, while awaiting further earnings results. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 370.11 points, or 0.88 percent, from Thursday at 41,456.23. The broader Topix index finished 25.69 points, or 0.86 percent, lower at 2,951.86. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by chemical, iron and steel and transportation equipment issues. The U.S. dollar briefly strengthened to the mid-147 yen range in Tokyo after U.S. weekly jobless claims fell unexpectedly, helping to ease concern about the prospects for the world's largest economy, dealers said. Stocks declined throughout the day after the Nikkei benchmark briefly climbed to a one-year high above the 42,000 line Thursday, while shares of companies that released weak earnings and projections plunged. Among such issues, Mitsubishi Motors ended down 7.9 percent at 406.0 yen, after the automaker said its net profit in the April-June quarter dived 97.5 percent from a year earlier, pressured by the adverse impact of hefty U.S. tariffs. More companies are set to announce their earnings next week, including Nissan Motor and Nippon Steel. "After Japan reached the trade deal with the United States, some companies are expected to make comments about the impact of the latest agreement," said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co. "Full-year earnings would be examined based on such comments, and share prices of companies are likely to be influenced by how they are affected by the tariffs," he added.

2 hours ago
Japan Bracing for Pressure to Increase Defense Spending
News from Japan Politics Jul 25, 2025 17:06 (JST) Tokyo, July 25 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is preparing for increased pressure from the United States to boost defense spending after the two countries announced a trade agreement this week. U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the Japan-U.S. alliance, making Japanese defense spending a likely focus of future discussions on bilateral relations. The White House announced "additional billions of dollars annually of purchases of U.S. defense equipment" by Japan under the trade deal. But Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that Tokyo did not promise new purchases. Japan rather explained its existing defense equipment procurement plan to the U.S. side in the trade talks, he said. "We explained the plan as our purchases of defense equipment help to improve the trade imbalance between Japan and the United States," Hayashi said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press