[Herald Economy=Reporter Jeong Kyung-su] KOTRA staged an export-marketing event in Tokyo that paired Korean content with consumer goods to help South Korean companies enter the Japanese market.KOTRA said on the 11th that it held a \"K-Lifestyle B2B Export Consultation\" in Tokyo on the 7th in conjunction with KCON Japan.
Forty-eight South Korean consumer-goods companies participated, holding more than 400 one-on-one meetings with 81 local buyers. KOTRA said the consultations produced memorandums of understanding worth a total of $16.9 million (approximately 22.53 billion KRW).
The event was organized alongside CJ ENM’s KCON Japan festival. Organizers aimed to turn consumer trends driven by K-pop and K-dramas into concrete export opportunities.
Participating firms represented beauty, fashion, household goods and food. With steady demand for K-beauty in Japan, local buyers showed especially strong interest in cosmetics companies; some firms’ consultation slots filled up before the event began.
KOTRA analyzed that interest in the broader K-lifestyle category is growing in Japan. South Korea has held the top share of Japan’s cosmetics import market since 2021, and last year its cosmetics exports to Japan exceeded $1 billion (approximately 1.33 trillion KRW).
Fourteen small or primarily domestic companies with limited export experience also took part. KOTRA collaborated with the Foundation for Collaboration between Large and Small Businesses and Agriculture and Fisheries to support early-stage exporters entering the Japanese market.
After the consultation sessions, KOTRA invited Japanese buyers to the consumer-facing K-Collection so companies could link B2B discussions with B2C promotion and observe local consumer reactions directly.
Park Yong-min, head of KOTRA’s Japan office, said, “In Japan, the Korean Wave led by K-pop and K-dramas has moved beyond a trend and become embedded across lifestyles, making this a market with steady growth potential. We will enhance support through culture-industry linked export marketing and actively help Korean consumer-goods firms achieve tangible export results.”
