
During past flare-ups in diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, Chinese consumers spontaneously boycotted Japanese goods.
Part of the reason for the turnaround is a seismic shift in China’s consumer market, with the Japanese home appliances, digital gadgets and cars once seen as must-have items having largely lost their lustre to the benefit of domestic brands.
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For many Chinese people, there are simply not that many Japanese products left that feel worth boycotting.
Competition from local rivals has increasingly become a formidable challenge for all international brands in China, including Japanese ones. The era when Chinese consumers fervently chased foreign luxury and premium names is over, analysts and industry insiders said.
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Today, proudly wearing Chinese fashion, using locally branded appliances and driving domestically made cars has become the prevailing trend.