What Nippon Research Center does

Nippon Research Center (NRC, 株式会社日本リサーチセンター) is a privately held Japanese market and social research firm founded in 1960, headquartered in Tokyo. The company conducts custom survey research, recurring omnibus and panel data collection, qualitative studies, and international comparative research for private corporations, national and local government bodies, and academic institutions. NRC operates a multi-method research platform spanning face-to-face in-home interviews (訪問調査), a proprietary mail panel (トラストパネル / Trust Panel), an internet panel (サイバーパネル / Cyber Panel), qualitative group and depth interviews, and mix-mode combinations. Its flagship recurring product is NOS (NRC Omnibus Survey), a monthly nationally representative face-to-face omnibus that has run continuously for 45+ years at 200 randomly sampled locations, providing longitudinal consumer and social data unavailable from newer digital-only providers.

NRC's underlying technology stack combines the proprietary dual-panel system (Cyber Panel + Trust Panel) with a national field network of approximately 30 local area bases and trained interviewers covering all of Japan, enabling methodologically diverse research including online, mail, face-to-face, and hybrid designs. The company holds ISO9001, ISO20252, JIPDEC Privacy Mark (registration 12390009, since March 2001), and Eruboshi certifications, and is the exclusive Japanese member of the Gallup International Association (since 1968) and a founding member of WIN, giving it access to 62+ countries. A branded NR | YouGov partnership distributes YouGov BrandIndex, Profiles, and YouGovSport in Japan.

NRC's revenue model is multi-stream: professional-services custom research (quote-based per project), recurring NOS omnibus question-slot subscriptions, panel membership and supplementary data sales, YouGov product licensing/subscription revenue, and syndicated report sales. Distribution is direct enterprise sales driven by inbound via the company website, augmented by an active note.com blog, an extensive NRCレポート publication library, the エースの会 (Ace no Kai) member organization, and JMRA / GIA / WIN industry affiliations. The current President and Representative Director is Sugihara Ryōji (杉原 領治), and the firm operates debt-free with conservative financial management under private ownership and no disclosed external investment.

Name

Nippon Research Center

Legal name

株式会社日本リサーチセンター

Website

https://nrc.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nippon Research Center (NRC) is a privately held Japanese market and social research firm founded in 1960, providing custom surveys, omnibus, and panel research to corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions across Japan and 60+ international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Public opinion surveys
• Omnibus surveys
• Consumer panels
• Brand tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Sumida

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Market Research Services: Bespoke survey design and execution tailored to individual client needs, covering research design, questionnaire creation, fieldwork, tabulation, analysis, and reporting. Pricing varies by survey specification including sample size, methodology, and scope.
2. NOS Omnibus Survey (日本リサーチセンター・オムニバス・サーベイ): Regularly scheduled shared-cost national survey product. Clients purchase shared question slots in the questionnaire at standardized pricing, with cross-tabulation reports available as add-ons. Long-running product with over 45 years of continuity.
3. Panel Membership & Data Sales: NRC operates consumer panels (Cyber Panel and Trust Panel) for respondent recruitment. Cross-tabulated data from NOS surveys is sold as supplementary datasets.
4. YouGov Partnership (NR|Yougov): NRC distributes YouGov BrandIndex, Profiles, and Sport products in Japan, generating licensing/subscription revenue streams.
5. 自主調査レポート販売 (Proprietary Research Report Sales): NRC publishes syndicated and proprietary research reports (e.g., NRC全国キャラクター調査, 花粉調査, 食調査) covering various consumer topics, available for purchase or free download with registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nippon Research Center (NRC) designs and executes custom and syndicated market research and public opinion surveys for corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions. Its flagship product is NOS (NRC Omnibus Survey), a monthly face-to-face national survey maintained for over 45 years, complemented by internet (Cyber Panel), mail (Trust Panel), qualitative, and global survey methodologies, plus analytical solutions such as brand diagnosis, segmentation, pricing analysis, UX research, customer journey research (RET), employee engagement programs, and BI analytics. NRC also distributes YouGov BrandIndex, Profiles, and YouGovSport products in Japan.

Product overview

Nippon Research Center (NRC) operates as a comprehensive market research firm offering a portfolio of research methodologies, data analysis solutions, and branded survey products. The core offering centers on NOS (NipniBus Survey), a monthly nationally representative face-to-face omnibus survey conducted since 1960, supplemented by multiple survey methodologies including mail (Trust Panel), online (Cyber Panel), qualitative, mixed-mode, and global research. NRC's solutions layer includes proprietary analytical services (brand diagnosis, segmentation, pricing analysis, UX research, customer journey research, and BI tools), a YouGov partnership suite (BrandIndex, Profiles, YouGovSport), and business support services (internal communications production, anniversary projects, custom training, and group coaching). The YouGov partnership products represent the primary external brand integration within NRC's portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NOS (日本リサーチセンター・オムニ버스サーベイ): NRC Omnibus Survey – a regularly conducted ride-along (omnibus) national survey using face-to-face methodology, conducted monthly with nationally representative sampling.
• サイバーパネル (Cyber Panel)
• トラストパネル (Trust Panel)
• NR | YouGov
• NRC ワークエンゲージメントプログラム
• NRC UXリサーチ
• RETカスタマージャーニーリサーチ
• マインドポインター®
• プライバシーマーク (Privacy Mark)
• ISO9001 / ISO20252
• エースの会

Products and services

• NOS (NRC Omnibus Survey) (NOS・日本リサーチセンター・オムニバス・サーベイ) A monthly nationally representative face-to-face omnibus (ride-along) survey conducted at 200 randomly selected locations across Japan, weighted to Japan's population demographics, and maintained continuously for over 45 years as NRC's flagship recurring data-collection product.
• NRC Work Engagement Program (NRC ワークエンゲージメントプログラム) Employee engagement assessment and improvement program designed to help organizations measure and enhance workforce engagement using NRC's research methodology.
• NRC UX Research (NRC UXリサーチ) User experience research service that goes beyond market reality analysis to help create new strategies and concepts for client organizations.
• BI Tool (BIツール) Business intelligence analytics tool that helps organizations connect large data sets to strategic business decisions, offered by NRC as a standalone analytical product.
• RET Customer Journey Research (RETカスタマージャーニーリサーチ) Customer journey research service that maps and analyzes the complete customer decision-making path from awareness through purchase and beyond.
• Mind Pointer® (マインドポインター®) NRC's registered trademark research tool/service for psychological or qualitative insight measurement, offered as a proprietary methodology.
• Usage and Attitude Survey / U&A (使用実態調査) Usage and attitude survey service capturing consumer usage patterns, attitudes, and behaviors for product and brand analysis.
• Brand Diagnosis Survey (ブランド診断調査) Brand diagnosis survey evaluating brand equity, perception, and positioning across consumer segments.
• Segmentation Analysis (セグメンテーション分析) Market segmentation analysis service that divides consumers into distinct groups based on demographics, psychographics, and behavioral data.
• Pricing Analysis (プライシング分析) Pricing analysis service determining optimal price points and strategies based on consumer willingness to pay and market conditions.
• NR | YouGov BrandIndex Daily brand tracking service offered in Japan through the NRC-YouGov partnership, providing continuous brand performance monitoring across key metrics.
• NR | YouGov Profiles Consumer profiling and audience segmentation tool powered by YouGov's panel data, distributed in Japan by NRC for detailed consumer segment targeting.
• YouGovSport Sports marketing and sponsorship effectiveness measurement tool offered in Japan through the NRC-YouGov partnership.
• Visit Survey (訪問調査) Face-to-face in-person survey methodology conducted by trained interviewers at respondents' homes, leveraging NRC's nationwide interviewer network.
• Mail Survey / Trust Panel (郵送調査／トラストパネル) Mail survey methodology supported by the Trust Panel, NRC's proprietary mail survey panel enabling data collection from older and broader demographic groups.
• Internet Survey / Cyber Panel (インターネット調査／サイバーパネル) Online survey methodology using NRC's Cyber Panel (サイバーパネル), the company's proprietary internet research panel for fast, large-sample data collection.
• Qualitative Research (定性調査) Qualitative research including group interviews and in-depth interviews for collecting non-quantifiable insights such as text and images.
• Mix-Mode Research (ミックスモード) Multi-mode research approach combining multiple survey methodologies (e.g., online + mail or in-person + online) to maximize representativeness and response quality.
• Global Survey Service (ワールドワイド調査サービス) Global survey service leveraging partnerships with GIA (Gallup International Association) and WIN (Worldwide Independent Network) to conduct research across 60+ countries.
• Internal Newsletter and Corporate Publication Production (おもしろねったいかうんせいをはじめ各種投稿サービス) Production services for internal newsletters, company histories, annual reports, and other corporate communication materials as an add-on service leveraging NRC's editorial capabilities.
• Anniversary Project Support (周年記念事業のご案内) Anniversary project support service for corporate milestones, including research and communication strategy for commemoration events.
• Custom Training (打合わせ研修) Custom training programs tailored to client needs, covering marketing research skills and methodologies.
• Group Coaching (集団コーチング) Group coaching service to support team development and organizational effectiveness, offered alongside NRC's research offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly NOS (omnibus) survey conducted at 200 randomly selected locations across Japan with population-representative demographic weighting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gallup International Association (GIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1968NRC has been the exclusive Japanese representative member of GIA since 1968. GIA is an international survey research network founded in 1947 by Dr. George Gallup in Geneva. Through this partnership, NRC participates in global surveys including the End of Year Survey and contributes Japanese data to international comparative studies.
• Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRC is a founding member of WIN, which together with GIA covers 62+ countries and regions for global survey research. NRC participates in WIN Global Surveys including AI opinion surveys and climate change surveys, providing Japanese representative data.
• YouGov (NR|Yougov partnership)coreTechnology or IntegrationNRC distributes YouGov products in Japan including BrandIndex (daily brand tracking), Profiles (consumer panel data), and YouGovSport. This partnership provides NRC access to YouGov's global panel technology and methodology while extending YouGov's reach into the Japanese market.
• 日本マーケティング・リサーチ協会 (JMRA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRC is a member of the Japan Marketing Research Association, participating in industry self-regulation, following the マーケティング・リサーチ綱領 (Marketing Research Code), and accessing JMRA-organized seminars and professional development resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research and consumer insight leader. Compares as a broad incumbent with multi-country research capability that competes with NRC's GIA/WIN-enabled global studies.
• GfK: Global market research organization specializing in consumer goods, retail, and technology insights. Comparable on syndicated and custom consumer research methodologies overlapping with NRC's portfolio.
• Kantar: Worldwide market research and insights firm offering brand, consumer, and media research. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes with NRC for multinational client research engagements in Japan.
• Nielsen: Global measurement and data analytics company with strong consumer panel and media research operations. Compares on syndicated consumer measurement and competes with NRC for enterprise research budgets.

Direct peers

• Intage: Japan's largest independent market research firm, offering consumer panel (SRI), custom research, and syndicated studies. Directly comparable as a full-service Japanese MR competitor with a broader scale and similar multi-methodology positioning.
• Macromill: Japanese online-focused market research firm with a global panel network. Directly comparable on custom research and digital panel methodology, and a key competitive threat to NRC's internet-based offerings.
• Video Research: Long-established Japanese audience and media research firm. Comparable as a domestic MR peer with strong syndicated measurement products, panel operations, and deep government/media relationships.
• Cross Marketing: Japan-based market research company operating both custom research and an online panel (Dstyle). Overlaps with NRC on consumer research services and panel-based data collection for Japanese clients.

Emerging players

• Rakuten Insight: Online panel and digital research provider owned by Rakuten Group, with a large consumer panel in Japan and Asia. Competes with NRC's Cyber Panel on internet-based B2C research at lower cost.
• YouGov: Global online research firm and NRC's strategic partner for BrandIndex, Profiles, and YouGovSport distribution in Japan. Comparably positioned in syndicated brand tracking and panel-based consumer profiling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/nrcchannel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nippon-research-center

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nippon Research Center