Nomura Research Institute Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Kameko Yanagisawa) has developed the "Japanese Air Perception Index," which indexes the emotion state of Japanese consumers and society based on SNS post information, and enables indexing by attributes. The perception index (hereinafter, the "Index") was developed based on joint research with Yukie Sano, Associate Professor of Information Systems at the University of Tsukuba, and aims to be utilized for policy consideration, economic forecasting, marketing strategies, and other purposes.
Measured emotions and attributes
The Index is composed of seven indicators: "vitality," "confusion," "depression," "anger," "anxiety," "fatigue," and "peace."
Figure 1: Emotions of the 7 indicators of the Air Perception Index
| Indicators | Corresponding emotions |
|---|---|
| Vitality | Feelings such as energy, liveliness, cheerfulness, vigor, proactiveness, overflowing vitality, liveliness, etc. |
| Confusion | Feelings such as confusion, confusion, bewilderment, lack of confidence, dazed, disorder, etc. |
| Depression | Feelings such as sadness, melancholy, loneliness, fear, helplessness, disappointment, etc. |
| Anger | Feelings such as anger, trouble, rebellion, unsatisfied, irritable, etc. |
| Anxiety | Feelings such as worries, anxiety, concerns, tension, restlessness, fidgetiness, etc. |
| Fatigue | Feelings such as tiredness, weariness, exhaustion, getting sick of, being fed up, etc. |
| Peace | Feelings such as peacefulness, trust, empathy, warmth, coziness, etc. |
When converting to index by attribute, we reviewed the data source due to X's specification change and made it possible to calculate each indicator by attribute. This time, we aggregated by the following attributes.
- By Age: Under 30, 30 and over. - By Employment Status: Employed, Unemployed. - By Region: Kanto, Kansai, Chukyo, and Others.
Please use your Futubull account to access the feature.
- By employment status
: Employed and non-employed
- By Regional: Kanto, Kansai, Chukyo, and Others.
- By Regional: Kanto, Kansai, Chukyo, and Others.
Events that changed the 'atmosphere' of Japan.
First, the 'Atmosphere Index' after 2023 is shown in Figure 2. When the value of an indicator changes significantly, there are often major events related to that indicator, and representative events that are thought to be relevant are described in speech bubbles. Figure 2: Weekly fluctuations in the 'atmosphere index of Japan' after 2023 and major events. Source: NRI
Each indicator analysis is as follows.
Source: NRI
Each indicator analysis is as follows.
- The 'vitality' indicator is often influenced by sports events, and it increased significantly after Japan won the Baseball World Baseball Classic in March 2023.
- The 'confusion' indicator often rises due to incidents or accidents, and the crash of the Osprey in November 2023 is considered to have increased the confusion.
- The 'slump' indicator is often an indicator that is high when a celebrity dies. The slump was high following the death of Akira Toriyama (best known for 'Dragon Ball').
- The 'anxiety' indicator is often affected by natural disasters. The Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024 greatly increased the anxiety, and it was the event that changed the atmosphere the most after 2023. Anxiety had also increased with the Noto swarm earthquakes in May 2023, which is believed to have amplified the sense of anxiety caused by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024.
- The 'anger' indicator is an indicator that rarely fluctuates significantly, but it increased after the timing when a group of suspects in the so-called 'dark part-time job' were repatriated to Japan in February 2023.
- The 'fatigue' indicator increased in July-August 2023, as the exhaustive heat, such as 64 consecutive days of midsummer temperatures in Tokyo, increased the sense of fatigue.
- The 'peace' indicator has been at a high level since January 2023, and it is considered to be influenced by the subsiding of the new coronavirus. The peace indicator also increased slightly when the coronavirus moved to Category 5 in May 2023.
The 'atmosphere' differs depending on the attributes.
Events have different impacts on consumers depending on their attributes. Figure 3 extracts events that exhibit characteristic fluctuations based on the attributes of 'age,' 'region,' and 'employment status.' By comparing the fluctuation of each index and the date of the occurrence of the event, the impact of each event on the indicators can be estimated.
Figure 3: The impact by attribute on the Air Feeling Index (Changes by attribute before and after the event where the index moved significantly)
Note: Compares the average value of the index before the event (1 day) and after the event occurred (usually 2 days)
Source: NRI
【By age group (vitality)】 Before and after the World Baseball Classic (WBC) of baseball in March 2023, there was a significant 39% increase in vitality index from 1.06 to 1.47. Looking at the distribution by age group, the vitality index for those under 30 has a smaller tendency, while those over 30 have a considerable 116% increase. Although there is concern about the declining interest in baseball among young people, it can be said that the WBC has had a certain influence on those over the age of 30.
【By region (vitality)】 Before and after the victory of the Hanshin Tigers in November 2023, the vitality index for Japan as a whole showed a small movement from 0.99 to 1.04 (an increase of +4%). However, the region-specific results showed a significant difference, with an increase of +55% in Kansai and a decrease of -38% in Kanto, indicating the varying levels of reaction to the news in different regions.
【By employment status (fatigue)】 The maximum 10 consecutive holidays and other long holidays became a topic of discussion during the Golden Week of 2024. By comparing the fatigue index before and after the end of Golden Week by employment status, the fatigue index for workers increased nearly twice as much, with a +101% increase, while it decreased by -36% for non-workers. As a result of workers returning to work after Golden Week ended, they felt tired, whereas non-workers felt more tired during the holiday period.
Based on the results of this demonstration, Hitachi High-Tech and Hitachi will collaborate with various stakeholders such as material manufacturers including Sekisui Chemical to develop a more user-friendly environment and challenge One Hitachi to commercialize services using this system in Fiscal Year 2025. After the service is commercialized, Hitachi High-Tech will use its broad distribution network as a sales agent to expand to domestic and overseas product and material manufacturers. Companies (buyers and sellers) that participate in this business are being asked to join. Hitachi will work with Hitachi High-Tech and Sekisui Chemical to promote system development toward commercialization. Sekisui Chemical will continue to actively promote initiatives toward achieving a circular economy in 2050 by collaborating with Hitachi High-Tech and Hitachi.
Measuring the Air Feeling Index not only provides insight into the trends of Japanese society, but also leads to behavioral changes and policies that aim to improve society.
NRI will continue to research the 'Air Feeling Index of Japan' and announce its findings. We hope that this index will be a useful tool for strategic planning by companies, governments, and local authorities, leading Japanese society in a positive direction.
- 1
For more information on the Air Feeling Index, please visit the following URL.
- 2
Matsumoto Ryoka, Nakano Eito, Ohtomo Naofumi, Tamura Koutaro, Shiozaki Junichi, Sano Sachie. 'Measuring the Air Feeling Index of Japan from SNS Data.' Proceedings of the 38th National Convention of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, 4G1-GS-4-03 (2024).
- 3
Due to changes in the API by Twitter in March 2023, the X posting data provided by Hottolink has been altered. Although the data has the same number of posts, unlike the old indicators, the number of posts is a 10% sample of the total. Moreover, in the calculation of these new indicators, adjustments have been made to avoid discrepancies in the number of duplicated periods between new and old data. The announced indicator values have been calculated starting from April 1, 2023, while also being adjusted for comparison with the old indicators.
- 4
Kanto area: Saitama prefecture, Chiba prefecture, Tokyo, Kanagawa prefecture, Kansai area: Kyoto prefecture, Osaka prefecture, Hyogo prefecture, Nara prefecture, Chubu area: Gifu prefecture, Aichi prefecture, Mie prefecture, Other: provinces other than Kanto, Kansai, and Chubu
【Reference】
Past announcements on the Air Feeling Index
- 【News Release】Nomura Research Institute Develops 'Air Feeling Index of Japan' that perceives changes in Japanese social atmosphere from SNS information (announced on March 30, 2022)
- 【Media Forum】Introduction to the 'Air Feeling Index of Japan' that perceives changes in people's emotions from SNS information (announced on April 8, 2022)
- 【News Release】Nomura Research Institute Renews 'Air Feeling Index of Japan' that perceives changes in people's emotions from SNS information (announced on May 8, 2023)