The State of Esports in Japan – Significance, Perception and Barriers of Development

This research looks at esports development in Japan, in an attempt to understand its significance, perception and barriers of development. The rise of esports in Japan has been slowed, compared to its Asian compatriots like China and Korean. Despite the fact that Japan is the third largest gaming industry in the world, Japan’s share in the global esports industry is estimated at an almost negligible 3% in 2021 (PwC, 2020). Although lawmakers and business enterprises in Japan understand the huge potential from the contribution of esports to the growth of Japan’s economy, this study has identified few critical factors as challenges to the further development of esports in Japan. These key factors include the current legal issues and law system, government support, social acceptance of esports and language barriers. Data collected through survey questionnaire also revealed low awareness of esports and popularity of esports genres contributed to its slow rollout.