KEY POINTS
- Rakuten Rakuma survey shows South Korea leads fashion influence among Japanese women in teens to 40s, while France tops women aged 50 and older
- United States ranks first among Japanese men for fashion reference for an eighth straight survey since male responses began in 2018
- Instagram leads fashion information gathering for women in teens to 50s, while YouTube ranks first or ties for first for men in those age groups
Rakuten Group
Rakuten Group said on August 12 that its flea market app Rakuten Rakuma had released the 2026 results of its annual survey on which countries Japanese consumers use as fashion references, with South Korea ranking first among women in their teens through 40s and the United States remaining the top choice for men across all age groups.
The survey covered 1,200 people aged 15 to 86 across Japan, evenly split between 600 women and 600 men, and was conducted online from July 2 to July 6. Rakuten Rakuma has conducted the survey every year since 2016 except 2025, making the latest edition the 10th overall.
Among women, South Korea was the most-cited country outside Japan for respondents in their teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. 61.5% of teenage women and 64.7% of women in their 20s selected South Korea, extending its top ranking among women in those two age groups to a 10th consecutive survey. South Korea also led among women in their 30s at 45.2% and women in their 40s at 35.2%.
For older women, France ranked first. Among women in their 50s, France led with 24.7%, while South Korea and the United States were tied for second at 23.5%. Among women aged 60 and above, France ranked first at 35.2%.
Among men, the United States was the most-referenced country for fashion for the eighth consecutive survey. The men’s survey began in 2018, and the United States has ranked first every year since then. Among teenage male respondents, South Korea was second at 27.7%.
Reasons for following fashion trends varied by country. For respondents who cited South Korea, the most common reason was affordability and ease of purchase, chosen by 50.0%, followed by liking the country’s artists, entertainers or celebrities at 27.7%. For the United States, the top reason was also affordability and ease of purchase at 33.6%, followed by affinity for U.S. subculture at 21.1% and the ability to express individuality at 20.8%.
For France and Britain, traditional culture was the main attraction. The share citing that reason was 38.0% for France and 50.6% for Britain.
The survey also showed clear differences in where respondents find fashion information. Among people who selected South Korea as their main fashion reference, Instagram was the top source at 51.5%, followed by YouTube at 26.5% and TikTok at 23.5%. For U.S.-focused respondents, YouTube ranked first at 27.5% and Instagram second at 21.3%. For those referencing France, Instagram led at 28.9%, ahead of magazines at 24.6%, while film and television dramas ranked first for Britain at 26.6%.
By age and gender, Instagram was the leading fashion information source for women in their teens through 50s, while YouTube ranked first or tied for first for men in their teens through 50s. Among women aged 60 and above, magazines were the top source at 28.0%, followed by TV at 26.0% and films and dramas at 23.0%. Among men aged 60 and above, TV ranked first at 32.0%, ahead of YouTube at 28.0% and films and dramas at 26.0%.
Rakuten Rakuma is a Japanese consumer-to-consumer marketplace app. The current service was formed in 2018 through the integration of Fril, launched in 2012 as Japan’s first flea market app, and Rakuma, which had been operated by Rakuten.
