The number of Facebook users in Japan amounted to approximately **** million in 2019. This figure was projected to increase to about **** million users by 2025. The total population of Japan was expected to decrease from more than *** million in 2019 to less than *** million by 2024.

The spread of Facebook in Japan

The Japanese version of Facebook launched in 2008, during the same year that Twitter entered the Japanese market. While Facebook was able to supplant domestic social networking services (SNS) such as Mixi and GREE, Twitter showed an even higher user growth in the years that followed. Social media in general became more important over the years, as the widespread adoption of smartphones made mobile communications easier than before. A further factor was the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 and disrupted phone lines in many places. The messaging app LINE was developed in a short time period as a response to the earthquake and subsequently, became Japan’s most successful messaging app. Facebook also saw a spike in user numbers during that year, which was further supported by the release of the movie The Social Network to Japanese cinemas in October 2010. Today, the most popular profiles on Facebook each have a following of several million fans.

Facebook usage

A survey from 2019 revealed that three quarters of Japanese used SNS on a daily basis. While this finding indicated a high presence of social media in peoples’ daily lives, penetration rates varied depending on the service. There also exist internal variations among the user bases. In the case of Facebook, breakdowns of the penetration rate by gender and by age group showed that the service was used equally by men and women, but much more commonly by people in their twenties and thirties than other age groups. According to a survey on the willingness to pay (WTP) for the use of SNS, Facebook users on average were willing to pay the highest amount of money among the users of major services.

There were 72 000 000 Facebook users in Japan in September 2025, which accounted for 57.8% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 55.1%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (17 500 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 18 to 24, where women lead by 6 400 000.

Close to ** percent of people in Japan used Facebook in fiscal year 2024. The penetration rate decreased compared to the previous year, partly due to the inclusion of an additional age group in the survey. A breakdown by age group shows that the social networking service was more popular among those in their thirties and forties than among other generations.

The statistic presents the number of Facebook users in Japan as of January 2018, broken down by age and gender. As of the measured period, the number of female Facebook users aged 25 to 34 years reached around *** million, while the number of male users of the same age group amounted to approximately **** million.

There were 64 400 000 Facebook users in Japan in November 2024, which accounted for 51.7% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 55.7%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (15 200 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where women lead by 6 500 000.

Facebook was used by **** percent of men in Japan in fiscal year 2024. A breakdown by age group shows that the penetration rate of the social networking service was highest among people in their thirties and forties.

The number of social media users in Japan was estimated at approximately **** million in 2024. It was projected to increase to almost ** million users by 2029.Leading social networking servicesThe most commonly used social media in Japan are the messaging app LINE, YouTube, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook. LINE was developed by a Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean internet search engine provider Naver as a response to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. While the traditional telecommunication infrastructure was damaged, people were able to connect with loved ones via social media and could stay informed about the most recent news. These possibilities generated a boost for social media in Japan, not only for LINE, but for Twitter and Facebook as well. Usage todaySocial media plays an important role today in how people in Japan communicate with each other. The average time people spend using social media per weekday has increased significantly in recent years. According to one survey, communication with already existing acquaintances is the most common reason for using social media in Japan. Due to their nearly ubiquitous presence in the daily lives of people, social media services are also an important information tool for government institutions or companies that want to get their messages across to citizens and customers.

According to Socialbakers, Kyoto Fan had about ** million followers on Facebook as of March 2021, making it the most popular Facebook profile from Japan. It was followed by Rakuten, Inc., which counted more than *** million fans.

The Facebook app was downloaded about ***** thousand times in Japan in December 2024. The total number of downloads during that year reached about **** million.

This bar chart displays companies by Facebook link using the aggregation count in Japan. The data is about companies.

Status posts had the highest engagement rates among Facebook users in Japan from September to November 2024, reaching an average engagement rate of **** percent in relation to the number of page fans. All types of posts combined had an engagement rate of *** percent.

As of November 2024, each Facebook user in the Philippines spent on average around ** hours ** minutes using the Facebook mobile app per month. In comparison, each Facebook user in Japan spent around ***** hours and ** minutes using the Facebook mobile app per month.

This bar chart displays tweets by Facebook link using the aggregation sum in Japan. The data is about companies.

This horizontal bar chart displays tweets by Facebook link using the aggregation sum in Japan. The data is about companies.

This horizontal bar chart displays CEO approval (%) by Facebook link using the aggregation count in Japan. The data is about companies.

Japan FB: SA: Revenue: RD: Guarantee Account data was reported at 67.888 JPY bn in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 70.699 JPY bn for 2007. Japan FB: SA: Revenue: RD: Guarantee Account data is updated yearly, averaging 78.573 JPY bn from Mar 1998 (Median) to 2008, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 95.688 JPY bn in 1998 and a record low of 67.888 JPY bn in 2008. Japan FB: SA: Revenue: RD: Guarantee Account data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.F024: Government Budget: Final: Special Account: Revenue.

A survey conducted in Japan during fiscal year 2024 showed that the messaging app LINE was used by **** percent of the respondents. While globally leading networks such as Instagram, X, and Facebook do get their fair share of popularity within the Japanese social media market, the only platform able to compete with LINE in terms of penetration rates is YouTube, which was used by **** percent of the respondents. What makes LINE so popular?The success story of the messaging service LINE started back in 2011 during the Great East Japan Earthquake. While conventional communication channels in affected areas had broken down to a large degree due to damages brought about by the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, official sources as well as private individuals turned to online options for communicating news and confirming the safety of friends and family members. The LINE app, which was initially developed for communication between employees at NHN Japan, a Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean internet powerhouse Naver, was released for public use later that year. It appealed greatly to Japanese consumers due to its unique and customizable design, which allowed for both private and business usage. Today, the app is operated by LY Corporation, which is part of a joint venture between SoftBank Group and Naver.How do Japanese use social networks?Partly due to spread of smartphones in the 2010s, social media platforms have become increasingly important in people's daily lives. As a comparison of social network penetration rates of different countries shows, a vast majority of people in Japan use social networks. People in Japan on average spend several dozen minutes per weekday on social media, making this activity one of the most time-consuming online activities. According to one survey, the leading reasons for using social media are communicating with already existing acquaintances as well as searching for information.

Japan FB: GA: Exp: General: Education and Science(ES) data was reported at 5,497.805 JPY bn in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,658.368 JPY bn for 2018. Japan FB: GA: Exp: General: Education and Science(ES) data is updated yearly, averaging 6,070.739 JPY bn from Mar 1998 (Median) to 2019, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,295.697 JPY bn in 1999 and a record low of 5,483.756 JPY bn in 2016. Japan FB: GA: Exp: General: Education and Science(ES) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.F022: Government Budget: Final: General Account: Expenditure: By Program.

Japan FB: SA: Exp: PE: Limestone Account data was reported at 42.756 JPY bn in 2007. This records a decrease from the previous number of 51.154 JPY bn for 2006. Japan FB: SA: Exp: PE: Limestone Account data is updated yearly, averaging 330.071 JPY bn from Mar 1998 (Median) to 2007, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 635.714 JPY bn in 1999 and a record low of 8.358 JPY bn in 2003. Japan FB: SA: Exp: PE: Limestone Account data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.F025: Government Budget: Final: Special Account: Expenditure.

This horizontal bar chart displays social score (ESG) (/ 100) by Facebook link using the aggregation average in Japan. The data is about companies.