Korean lifestyle companies have partnered with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to expand exports to Japan by linking up with "K-CON Japan."
KOTRA said Tuesday that it held a "K-Lifestyle Business-to-Business (B2B) Export Consultation" in Tokyo on the 7th, connected to K-CON Japan, the flagship event of the Global K-Festival.
K-CON is a K-pop event organized by CJ ENM (035760.KS). First held in the United States in 2012, it has been hosted in Japan annually since 2015, except during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the consultation, 48 Korean small and mid-sized consumer goods companies held more than 400 one-on-one export meetings with 81 major local buyers, signing export memorandums of understanding (MOUs) worth $16.9 million (approximately 24.8 billion won). Interest from Japanese buyers was so strong that some companies had their consultation slots booked out before the event began.
Beyond the B2B consultations, KOTRA invited leading buyers to "K-Collection," a business-to-consumer (B2C) promotional event held from the 8th to the 10th local time. K-Collection is an integrated B2B consultation and B2C export support model that allows buyers to gauge Japanese consumer reactions in real time and helps convert that interest into export contracts.
"Japan is a market where the Korean Wave, led by K-pop and K-drama, is moving beyond the existing boom to take root across lifestyle sectors, with stable growth expected," said Park Yong-min, head of KOTRA's Japan Regional Headquarters. "We will enhance the effectiveness of our support through export marketing that links culture and industry, and actively help K-consumer goods companies achieve tangible export results."
Meanwhile, exports to Japan of the five promising consumer goods categories — beauty, food, household goods, fashion apparel, and pharmaceuticals — have grown steadily by about 31% over the past 10 years. In particular, Korea has held the No. 1 share of Japan's cosmetics import market for five consecutive years since 2021.
