Why Facebook Beats LinkedIn for B2B Marketing in Japan
As the world’s fourth-largest economy, Japan is an opportunity-rich—but hyper-localized—market for B2B brands to penetrate. This makes choosing the right channels for the right audience even more critical. Many foreigners are initially surprised to learn that Facebook, not LinkedIn, is widely used for business and professional networking in Japan—whether that’s for making connections or establishing a social presence for a company or service.
Social Media Marketing in Japan
Social media marketing has exploded in Japan over the past decade, much like in Western markets. However, B2B companies face unique challenges when leveraging these platforms. While consumer-focused brands thrive on Instagram, LINE, and X (formerly Twitter), these channels have limited effectiveness for B2B marketing. Instagram works best for visually driven, lifestyle-oriented content, and LINE is generally seen as a private messaging app. Meanwhile, X/Twitter is rife with anonymous accounts, making many Japanese businesses hesitant to trust it for professional interactions.
Japanese B2B buyers tend to value high-quality, informative content such as detailed whitepapers, case studies, and industry reports. Your social media strategy in Japan should prioritize both informational value-add and localization, including native Japanese content. Succeeding in Japan’s B2B social media landscape requires patience, consistency, and a focus on building trust rather than relying on overtly promotional posts, which aligns with the relationship-driven Japanese business culture.
Is LinkedIn Popular in Japan?
No, LinkedIn is not commonly used by local Japanese professionals. Although LinkedIn Japan has over 4 million users, most are either recruiters or professionals with international work experience. The Japanese tend to view LinkedIn as a bilingual or international job search site. As a result, those who don’t work with international counterparts or speak English often see little need to maintain a LinkedIn profile.
Also, compared to LinkedIn, Facebook’s privacy controls—such as the ability to choose who can see a particular post—are preferred by Japanese users, who tend to be more conservative in terms of self-disclosure, a tendency that stems from Japan’s cultural emphasis on politeness.
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Facebook: The Japanese Alternative to LinkedIn
Because Japanese people view LinkedIn more as an international job search site than a professional networking platform, Facebook is where business decision makers are most active on social media in Japan. In fact, 80% of Japanese enterprises use Facebook—not LinkedIn—for business networking, and of those, 57% operate in B2B. This makes the role and scope of Facebook in Japan akin to that of LinkedIn in much of the rest of the world.
Facebook Ads in Japan
As of July 2025, there were approximately 26 million Facebook users in Japan, making up a third of the population. When it comes to age groups, Facebook has a larger active userbase than LinkedIn among people over 40, which is the prime age of Japan’s C-suite decision makers. With the right ad targeting, you’d reach more Japanese stakeholders and decision makers on Facebook than on LinkedIn.
Facebook also has more advertising options than LinkedIn, most notably interactive ad formats—such as Slideshows, Carousels, and Collections—which are ideal for showcasing products and services visually in a way that resonates with audiences. Additionally, community, interest, and business groups are prevalent among Japanese Facebook users, and you can mine these groups for data and insights to optimize your targeting.
While Facebook’s CPC in Japan is relatively high compared to other countries, its userbase consists of more mature and therefore higher-seniority decisionmakers, leading to higher-quality leads and better ROI. With 98% of Japanese Facebook users accessing the platform via mobile, remember to make your ads mobile-friendly to reach more B2B buyers!
In summary, Facebook—not LinkedIn—is the most effective B2B marketing platform in Japan, mainly due to its powerful targeting options and mature audience, particularly C-suite decision makers. To drive B2B marketing success in Japan, businesses should leverage Facebook’s ad targeting features and optimize campaigns for mobile to engage Japanese professionals where they are most active.
Get the key takeaways from this post in Episode 08 of APAC in 3 (video below)
Japanese Social Media Marketing Agency
Ready to maximize your digital marketing in Japan? The Egg specializes in B2B digital marketing and helps global clients successfully penetrate the Japanese market. Contact us today — we’d love to help you grow your business in Japan.
