According to the Yano Research Institute, Japan's hair-care products market in 2013 was worth a little more than ¥432 billion, a 2 percent increase over the previous year's revenues, which is easy to believe. After cars and beer, hair-care items are probably the most advertised products on Japanese television, and the ones that saw the most growth (no pun intended) were those related to either hair-growth promotion (hatsumo/ikumo) or hair replacement, such as implants and hair pieces.
It's hardly a surprising development demographically. As everyone knows, there are more old people in Japan every year, and thus more people with thinning hair in the population. What's more, according to Yano, is that in line with these changes there is currently an entire "anti-aging" market that has materialized, encompassing everything from vitamin supplements to health club memberships.
Underlying it all is the sense among average Japanese, reinforced by popular culture, that they are likely to lose their hair. In fact, statistics seem to bear this feeling out, as they show that Japan is the baldest country in Asia (Czech Republic takes the honor for the world), and it isn't just a concern for men. A large portion of the hair growth/replacement market is aimed at women.