Purpose: Compared with the past when Japanese retailers used to hesitate to open their shops in the Korean market, because of anti-Japan sentiment, they show confidence in Korea in recent. This study, thus, aims at examining how socio-demographic factors have an impact on customer attitudes towards a Japanese retailer as a shopping destination. Research design, data, and methodology: After the literature review process, the authors have developed a variety of questions to verify the relationship amongst the variables like nationalism, consumer ethnocentrism, war animosity, store country-of-origin and anti-Japan sentiment. Furthermore, after collected questionnaires, the authors used confirmative factor analysis (CFA), T test and linear regression analysis to verify the 25 hypotheses developed. Results: Except for a household size element, it is found that gender, age, education and income levels are related to the degree of nationalism, ethnocentrism, war animosity, store country-of-origin and anti-Japan sentiment. In other words, socio-economic elements influenced Korean customer attitudes towards Japanese retailers. Conclusions: Korean customers tend to show different shopping attitudes towards the Japanese retailers, depending on the characteristics of socio-demographic elements. Furthermore, changing socio-demographic factors will provide positive business opportunities for Japanese retailers in the future.
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