Overseas market research, now "zero travel, 90 minutes, JPY 50,000"
"HONNE OF ASIA" launches: an online validation service to ask local consumers directly

MMHJAPAN Co., Ltd. / J-LIVE Business Headquarters, Nippon Brand Division September 15, 2026 / To members of the press

MMHJAPAN Co., Ltd. (head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Masafumi Kamei) has launched "HONNE OF ASIA", an online overseas field validation service that lets companies in Japan hold 90-minute ZOOM conversations with local consumers and livestreamers in 5 Asian countries (Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and South Korea) and directly confirm "Do they want it?" and "At what price would they buy it?" Pricing starts at JPY 50,000 (excl. tax) per session. With zero travel costs and no passport required, it opens up the "first step" of overseas expansion to small and medium-sized businesses as well.

HONNE OF ASIATHE TRUE VOICE OF ASIA

From JPY 50,000, test whether it sells overseas.

Zero travelZOOM 90 min5 Asian countriesVERIFIED participants

Main visual

Background"Only big companies sell overseas" — changing that assumption

With the spread of live commerce such as TikTok Shop, the social commerce (SNS SHOP) market across 5 Asian countries has reached a combined total of approx. JPY 30 trillion (approx. 20 times that of Japan). Meanwhile, the first barrier Japanese SMEs face when stepping overseas is "not knowing whether it will really sell." Conventional market research relies mainly on demographic data and secondhand information via agencies, and on-site inspection trips cost hundreds of thousands of yen and take time.

We operate vocational training schools (ALEAD SCHOOL) and a livestreamer development and TikTok LIVE business (J-LIVE TOKYO) in 5 Asian countries, and have held more than 1,000 online meetings between Japanese companies and local people. "HONNE OF ASIA" condenses that operational know-how into a 90-minute package.

Figure 1: How it differs from conventional research

ServiceService features

1. Participants with verified identities (VERIFIED)

Participants are not anonymous panelists but real consumers, livestreamers, and business owners whose identities have been verified through our local network. We share a profile sheet with each participant's photo, occupation, family structure, and more at least 7 days before the session.

2. Just choose who to meet — we handle all operations

All you need to prepare is a proposal and product images. We handle translation, facilitation, interpretation, and report writing; your company only needs to give a 5–7 minute presentation in Japanese and can simply listen after that.

3. A "verdict" within 90 minutes

Toward the end, all participants vote "buy / don't buy" and we ask them for their reasons. The verdict report (Go / Improve / No-Go), meeting report, and recording are delivered within 7 business days after the session, and all belong to your company.

Figure 2: Flow of the 90-minute session

Plans & PricePlans and pricing — all you choose is who to meet

Figure 3: The "4 barriers" to overseas expansion and matching plans (90 minutes per session, excl. tax, 3 participants as standard)

Figure 4: The most popular option, the "3-session bundle." A "3-session set" running the same plan 3 times (JPY 120,000–240,000) is also available

New Plan"HONNE OF ASIA" also works for foreign-talent hiring

Under the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) system, Japanese companies can now directly employ talent from Southeast Asia. The new "Foreign Talent Hiring Plan" (JPY 80,000 per session, excl. tax) assembles up to 8 local "people who want to work" based on your job posting, so you can hold pre-interviews and formal interviews in a 90-minute ZOOM session. Once hiring decisions are made, it can be combined with the pre-arrival training "Sakura Zemi" (Global Support Division) to support new hires until they settle in.

CommentComment from Masafumi Kamei, Representative Director & CEO

OutlineService overview

CompanyCompany profile