Netflix Japan subscribers top 10 million with shows garnering attention

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO (Reuters) – Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s subscribers passed 10 million in Japan in the first half of this year with the streaming firm’s Japanese-language programming grabbing attention in the growing market.

The subscriber base has doubled in the last four years and the streamer has recently released a string of well-received Japanese-language shows tackling subjects that set it apart from Japanese broadcasters.

“This year in particular we’re happy that productions such as ‘Tokyo Swindlers’, ‘The Queen of Villains’ and reality-romance show ‘The Boyfriend’ have been watched by so many people,” said Kaata Sakamoto, vice president of content for Japan.

Only two English-language series, the live-action adaptation of manga “One Piece” and the fourth season of “Stranger Things”, have topped the viewing rankings in Japan since Netflix began disclosing them in 2021.

“Japan in particular is a country which wants to see a lot of its own content so we strongly feel the need to produce it,” Sakamoto said.

Netflix said in September it has signed a five-year contract with Hitoshi One, the director of hit drama “Tokyo Swindlers” about a team of real estate scammers.

Streaming has encouraged consumers to watch foreign-language content with entertainment players looking to Japan in recent years.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has adapted Sega Sammy’s long-running “Yakuza” game series and Reuters reported last month that Sony (NYSE:SONY) is in talks to acquire media powerhouse Kadokawa to bolster its entertainment portfolio.

Netflix says Japanese content is its third-most-viewed non-English content after Korean and Spanish and its anime titles were viewed more than 1 billion times globally last year.

Shares in the streamer, which has been boosted by an ad-supported tier and had 282.7 million subscribers globally at September-end, have climbed around 84% year-to-date at Monday’s close.