During my last trip to Paris, this cultural difference caught my eyes again in the subway's corridors :

In France, most ads are reduced to their minimum: a slogan, an image (not even 100% necessary), and a logo. It made me realize how much we’ve come to favor impact over information here. The idea seems to be that saying less, makes you more impactful, more memorable, and maybe, even more trustworthy. It's like " let's make the best use of the 1.5 seconds you will watch us."

While in Japan... well :
In Japanese mass media, brands try to say everything they can! every detail, every label, every “I am the No.1” badge. It's like " let's make the best use of the 10cm of space we have." You see it on TV, where screens are covered with text and banners, on packaging, overflowing with micro-information... anywhere.
Here, richness of detail is often perceived as a sign of transparency, and care. Almost a visual form of "omotenashi" I would say : anticipating every question the viewer might have. Facilitating their lives.

But that era of “filling every space” seems to be slowly fading in the newest or trendiest marketing... In younger, more contemporary Japanese design, we now see a clear shift toward simpler, cleaner compositions. Maybe the “filling all the available space” era simply lasted longer in Japan because of its aging audience, just like fax machines that never really disappeared here.

I won't say one way is better than the other, but In my own work approach, I tend to lean toward the keep the essential direction too, even when we speak to a Japanese audience. Why ?

Because designs that breathe, that let the eye rest, yet remain deeply anchored in Japanese culture. After all, "ma", 間, the art of space and pause, and humble elegance, are also pillars of Japan’s identity... right?