2024-10-9
Behind-the-Scenes of NHK’s New Project X Episode: “A Revolutionary App From Japan to the World! The Birth of a Giant Marketplace”
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Hi there! I’m Masahiro (@ohqui) from the PR Team.
On Saturday, September 7, a documentary recounting the story of Mercari’s founding aired on NHK’s documentary program New Project X.
Mercari, the app that lets you buy and sell easily with just a smartphone. On a marketplace where everything from furniture and antiques to toilet paper rolls and even the skin of onions are listed, things that were once thrown away are now given new value, allowing resources to be used more effectively. All of this began with three young men who vowed to chase their dreams. After founding the company in their 20s, they embarked on a journey full of hardship. This is a project aiming for global expansion from Japan, which was said to be a barren land for startups, and a story questioning the very meaning of pursuing one’s dreams.
NHK rebroadcast the program on Saturday, September 14, from 8:15–9:00 AM, and was also available on NHK Plus until 8:14 PM on the same day.
Note: The documentary is now available exclusively on NHK On Demand.
In this article, I’ll be introducing the episode and sharing a behind-the-scenes look into the interview and filming process to hopefully enhance the experience for both those watching it for the first time and those re-watching it.
Why Mercari Was Featured on New Project X
New Project X made its comeback after 18 years in April of 2024 with the new theme “Lost Decades.” The program focuses on events that occurred in the years following the collapse of Japan’s economic bubble. As described in the program, the years after Japan’s bubble collapse coincided with the startup boom incited by the release of Windows 95 and the popularization of the internet, and tech startups were appearing one after another. The producers of the program wanted to feature an internet-related service born during a similar period, and after careful deliberation between several candidates decided to tell the story of Mercari’s founding and the company’s ambitions to launch the app globally.
Project X is back for the first time in 18 years. The original series followed the stories of the people involved in projects that will go down in Japan’s industrial and modern histories, including monumental architectural projects such as the Kurobe Dam and Seikan Tunnel, product development projects such as the VHS and Japanese automobiles, the behind-the-scenes drama of the Asama-Sanso incident, and more. The new series takes the “Lost Decades” following Japan’s economic bubble collapse as its main setting. Every era has its challengers and heroic deeds done without praise or recognition. This multi-protagonist documentary shares the untold passion and bravery of these game-changing figures.
The interview and filming process
The interview process called for the cooperation of numerous people, including Mercari’s Director, Representative Executive Officer and CEO Shintaro Yamada (also the program’s protagonist), co-founders Tommy Tomishima and Ryo Ishizuka, former Mercari members, Shintaro’s long-time friends and acquaintances, and more. The number of hours on camera alone reached double digits. This in addition to the fact-checking and confirmation of related information that occurred off-camera made the production an extensive process.
In addition, location shooting also took place in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and other places the United States.
The show also symbolically used old photos and video footage of Shintaro in his student years, the original founding members, and the moment the Mercari app hit 10 million downloads. In parallel with the filming process, we were also painstakingly digging up and collecting materials such as these to provide to the producers. The process of creating the story and film progressed through multiple rounds of careful fact-checking. We worked with the producers to comb through various information, testimonies, and materials that backed up the facts in the documentary.
Highlights of the show
The show mainly covered the years between 2013 right after Mercari’s founding to 2017, before Merpay and the businesses that came afterward existed, and portrays a very different picture of Mercari than what it is today.
However, it also portrays realities that remain unchanging to this day, such as our company value “Go Bold.” In fact, the scenes featured represent the very epitome of this value. The show mentioned how Japan was said to be a barren land for ventures for a long time. We have always valued the importance of not fearing failure and taking on bold challenges in any environment and the courage to take the first step toward success, and I hope such sentiments will be conveyed to you when you watch the show.
Mercan articles documenting the early days
After the show aired, there was a surge in viewers of old Mercan articles that were published during the years covered on New Project X.
Here are a selection of articles that depict the situation and reality of Mercari in those days. Feel free to enjoy them along with the show!
Interview of Shintaro Yamada (When the Mercari app reached 10 million downloads in February 2015)
Interview of co-founder Tommy Tomishima
Interview with one of Mercari’s original members Naoya Karita
Finally, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to all those inside and outside the company who were willing to cooperate with interviews, questions, and materials, and the producers and staff of the show who made no compromises to carefully tell the story of the challenge of Mercari’s founding.
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