Aiko Tanaka

About Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka writes from Tokyo on Japanese and Korean retail, luxury, beauty and the cultural forces reshaping how Asia shops. She has spent more than eight years reporting on department stores, konbini chains and the country's ageing but still highly demanding consumer base. Before joining RetailNews.asia she was a lifestyle and business reporter at a Japanese national newspaper, where she covered Isetan Mitsukoshi, Fast Retailing and the rise of niche J-beauty brands. Her work often explores how heritage retailers in Tokyo and Osaka are courting younger shoppers, inbound tourists and premium K-beauty and K-fashion labels. Aiko is a regular visitor to Seoul, where she tracks Coupang, Musinsa and the fast-changing world of Korean live commerce. She is fluent in Japanese, Korean and English, and often translates industry reports for RNA's regional audience. When she isn't writing, she is usually browsing depachika food halls or hunting down independent boutiques in Shibuya and Seongsu.

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