Shampoo ads here typically feature glamorous blondes praising imports from Procter & Gamble of the U.S. and Europe's Unilever.
But ads for Tsubaki, the latest hit from cosmetics maker Shiseido Co., show famous Japanese women and an unusually direct slogan: "Japanese women are beautiful."
The message has struck a chord at a time when Japanese women are increasingly looking to role models in their own ranks, rather than stars from abroad, for definitions of their self worth. Advertisers are beginning to catch on to the trend.