Clubhouse tops Japan chart as CEOs and celebrities embrace chat app

Feb 10, 2021 | News On Japan

Feb 10, 2021 (Japan Times) - Clubhouse, the invite-only drop-in conversation app attracting Silicon Valley leaders in the U.S., has jumped the pond to become a hit in Japan where company heads, celebrity musicians and politicians have embraced the latest social-media phenomenon.

Even SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son has an account.

The iPhone-only app topped the country’s download charts with more than 440,000 new installs last week, according to Sensor Tower data. The first week of February has also seen it sweep across the wider Asia region, with China enjoying a short-lived romance with the audio-only service before it was swiftly blocked after users started discussing politically sensitive topics.

In Japan, as elsewhere, the appeal of Clubhouse has largely been local. Chart-topping hip-hop producer and DJ Taku Takahashi has moderated experimental jam sessions for audiences topping 1,500 listeners. Comedian Naomi Watanabe has more than 383,000 followers. Takumi Kawahara, the husband and executive producer of tidiness guru Marie Kondo, is a regular. Public health expert Dr. Takahiro Kinoshita hosts a morning show with virologists and answers audience questions. And regulatory reform and vaccine minister Taro Kono recently participated in a chat with more than 1,800 listeners.

“This app, which has more time-devouring elements than Twitter, is very addictive,” said artist and musician Emi Kusano. “Especially for people like me who like to talk.”

Son, the mercurial SoftBank investor, has also been drawn in, though he hasn’t yet taken part in any fireside chats. When his SoftBank Group Corp. reported record earnings on Monday — illustrated by an extended metaphor about golden eggs — several Clubhouse chatrooms popped up to discuss the results, with a combined audience of more than 500.

Base Inc. founder and Chief Executive Officer Yuta Tsuruoka described his Clubhouse experience as akin to a company general meeting, helping him gather feedback and requests from users. He wants to do it again in a month’s time and is among an expanding group of business leaders adopting the platform.

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