By September 2007, Japan had 27.7 million broadband lines in place, making it the third largest broadband country in the world after the United States and China. According to 2008 International Telecommunication Union reports, Japan's online population has grown to 94 million, which is equivalent to more than 70 percent of the country's population, making Japan the world's second largest Internet economy. Only the United States has a greater online market.

Not only is Japan the second largest economy online, it is also an economy with big spending power. U.S. Commercial Services' statistics support that claim. They report that the average Japanese household has over $100,000 in savings, and disposable income of about $4,000 per month. Plus, Japan is the largest overseas market for U.S. exporters, with imports from the U.S. in excess of $59 billion in 2006.

Reaching the 94 Million Potential Online Shoppers in Japan
More and more people are willing to order items internationally, if they can understand the site and shop easily. Based on the amount of potential buyers and the money they have to spend, localizing your website to reach Japanese-speakers sounds like a good idea if you're hoping to appeal to a bigger international market. But where do you start?

Expand your potential customers with website translation and localization services. Another way you may hear this described is "globalizing your website," and your company's products or services.

On a macro level, globalization can be envisioned as a process that results in the interaction and integration of people, companies, markets, and economies via international business and trade. In recent years the advent of globalization has increased due to new international trade agreements, investments across borders, and the opening of markets encouraged by the Internet.

On a national level, globalization's effects can be very far reaching too. A nation's environment, culture, political system, economic development, and prosperity are oftentimes affected. All you need to do is witness the explosive economic growth and poverty reduction in China, India, and other countries that were poor 20 years ago, but are now growing in prosperity primarily as the result of their globalization strategies.

To attempt to reach the 94 million potential online customers, it is important your website incorporates the unique characteristics of the Japanese marketplace, its culture, and customs, but also the legal and logistical components such as taxes, regulations, etc.

For example, if you translate your website into Japanese, but your shopping cart does not support Yen or international shipping, you're left with a customer who knows all about your product, wants to buy it, but then can't get it.

More on Localizing for Japanese Online Consumers
Since this issue's language focus is Japanese, below are a few additional tips and points to consider as you localize to this market segment.

Pictures and colors
Pictures can carry many subtle cultural messages and can speak loudly, symbolically, about your company or product. Pictures or images may have certain connotations that can attract or upset your potential customers. When including pictures, tailor them to what may be appropriate to a Japanese visitor rather than simply transferring your images and pictures from your U.S. website. Colors are also loaded with cultural meanings. For example, in Japan white is commonly associated with mourning.

Navigation
A common problem experienced in localization is the effect on layout during translation. Certain languages can make your pages need more room or less room depending on the target language. Plus, not all languages read from left to right — for example, Japanese is read from top to bottom.

Content and Translation in Website Localization
Examining your written content in any localization process in critical to its success. This is important for proper display of dates, currencies, and units of measurement. As mentioned previously, translate your site into Japanese. A professional website translation service done by a native speaker can prevent awkward grammar and unreadable errors. This is because translation requires both cultural awareness and knowledge of word usage in the target language (i.e. slang) and industry specialization.

Find out more
For information about translating materials or localizing your website for Japanese-speakers, contact us.

SOURCES:
BuddeComm Research
Internet World Statistics