The battle between online video streaming heavy hitters is well underway in Japan. While Hulu got a head start in the market in 2011, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have quickly caught up since their launches in 2015 by expanding their libraries with original Japanese content.The number of subscribers has been steadily growing, and a recent Jiji Press survey showed that the number of people in Japan using such online streaming services now stands at more than 20 percent of the population.This year’s winner, though, has to be Netflix. Its aggressive push for content creation has paid off in a big way, with Japan-centric films and TV series capturing a range of audiences here and abroad. While the streaming service does not release audience numbers, making it difficult to make out the exact viewership of its offerings, the wealth of critical acclaim and media attention given to its original content over the year was hard to ignore.2019 kicked off with “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” Japanese decluttering guru Kondo, who was named one of Time Magazine’s top 100 influential figures in 2015 for the international success of her bestselling books, including “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” presented her cheery persona and spartan philosophy just in time for Netflix audiences to buckle down and commit to New Year’s resolutions. The show spread Kondo’s trademark KonMari method and set off a wave of memes on social media, thanks to her belief in throwing out items that do not “spark joy.” In July, Netflix and Kondo had something to be joyful about — two Primetime Emmy award nominations.