Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Spending related to “oshikatsu,” or activities to support “oshi” or one’s favorite idols, characters or celebrities, is growing in Japan despite a fall in the proportion of people who engage in such activities, an online survey has shown. Research company Intage Inc. conducted the survey in January, covering people aged 15 to 79. Valid responses were received from 5,000 people. The proportion of people who said they have an oshi came to 33.6 pct, down 1.5 percentage points from a year earlier. The figure was higher among women and younger people, reaching the highest level among women aged 15 to 19, at 75.9 pct. Despite the decrease in the number of people engaging in oshikatsu, average spending on such activities in the past year increased. Average expenditures were highest for people supporting Japanese idols, at 54,627 yen, or 1.1 times the level a year earlier. People supporting musicians and bands followed with 42,585 yen, up 1.3-fold, while spending on oshikatsu linked to anime doubled to 22,584 yen and that linked to games increased 2.6-fold to 36,698 yen. Higher spending in the areas of anime and games is believed to reflect the release of new anime films based on previously popular works and the launch of successor models of game consoles. “Although the proportion of people with an oshi has declined slightly, we found that they are actively spending money,” Intage analyst Emiko Mori said. “Large expenditures on anime and other areas are likely to continue, despite the prolonged impact of inflation.” When asked about the genres of their oshi, with multiple responses allowed, 9.4 pct of respondents cited Japanese idols, the most common genre. This was followed by musicians and bands, at 8.3 pct, and anime, at 7.4 pct. Games and manga came to 4.3 pct each. The proportions fell across many genres. When asked about the impact of inflation on oshikatsu, the share of respondents in their 60s who said they had been affected increased significantly from a year earlier. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
