Suggestions
Yuga Koda
Advocating Design at UXPin
Yuga Koda is a prominent figure in the design and technology sector, currently serving as the Co-Founder of Nihonium.io, a company focused on assisting software firms in entering the Japanese market. He has held various significant roles, including being the Chief Executive Officer at UXPin until October 2023, where he contributed to enhancing design operations and product offerings within the platform.12
Professional Background
- Co-Founder, Nihonium.io (August 2023 - Present)
- Focuses on simplifying entry for software companies into Japan.
- Chief Executive Officer, UXPin (September 2020 - October 2023)
- Principal, Xenon Partners (November 2018 - October 2023)
- Director of Operations, MetricFire (July 2019 - February 2020)
- Director of Operations, Scout Monitoring (November 2018 - July 2019)
Education
Yuga Koda graduated from Colby College with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematical Science and Economics in 2016. He also participated in a summer study abroad program at the Universidad de Granada, focusing on Spanish Language and Literature.1
Skills and Languages
Koda is proficient in multiple languages:
- Japanese: Native or bilingual proficiency
- English: Native or bilingual proficiency
- Spanish: Limited working proficiency
His expertise lies not only in design but also in strategic operations within tech startups, making him a valuable asset in the SaaS industry.12
Highlights
Social media is a great channel to increase awareness. Understanding the user base and characteristics of each social media platform is key to reaching the right audiences. Some platforms have similar user bases in Japan as other countries, while others have characteristics that are unique in Japan.
For example:
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Facebook is primarily used by businesspersons in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
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LinkedIn’s reach isn’t as large in Japan with 3m MAUs (hopefully this will grow!).
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Though more of a superapp, Line is the most used platform with 96m MAUs (about 80% of the Japanese population).
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X (Twitter) users prefer to stay anonymous. About 75% of users in Japan are anonymous (35.7% in the US).
For those who are interested, I’ve put together a blog post going over the nuances of the social media platforms in Japan (link in comments)!
I came across an interview done by Japan Cloud in 2021 discussing the importance of localization. The interviewee, a local IT expert said:
“Everything should be in high-quality, idiomatic Japanese. There’s nothing worse than bad translation. It’s easy to tell which vendors know what they are doing and are really committed to the market just through the quality of their materials and programs.”
The quality of translation is definitely an indicator of the level of commitment to the Japanese market. Having high-quality translation and using industry-specific language shows that the company invested enough in Japan to have a Japanese-speaking teammate and may be able to provide support in Japanese. I’d even go a step further and say that poor translations have a negative effect. It can leave the wrong impression and show that you’re hoping to get quick wins without fully committing.
Poor translation can backfire and unnatural Japanese is pretty easy to spot.
