A viral thread went around claiming that brands like Iittala, Wedgwood, and L'Occitane were abandoning Japan as the market gets poorer.
I checked. The situation looked different.
What actually happened
Many of these brands still operate Japanese accounts on X and maintain fully localized Japanese websites. Some have shifted their focus to LINE instead of Instagram.
That actually makes sense. In Japan, LINE functions almost like a local version of WhatsApp — but even more dominant. Around 95% of smartphone users use LINE, making it closer to infrastructure than just another social app.
This isn't about abandoning Japan. It's about channel strategy.
Different markets, different platforms
In Japan, localization often happens on LINE. In LATAM, it might happen on WhatsApp or Instagram. The platform isn't a detail — it's where your users actually are.
A brand that moves from Instagram to LINE in Japan isn't retreating. It's localizing. The audience didn't go anywhere. The channel just changed.
Localization starts before the words
Localization isn't only about language. It's about choosing the right channel for each market, understanding how communication flows in that context, and showing up where users already are.
Localization doesn't start with translation. It starts with understanding how each market actually works.