Ian Thorpe doesn't lose too often but he seems well behind David Beckham in the Japanese popularity race.

Thorpe - the Australian Holiday Ambassador in Japan - was typically diplomatic when asked about Beckham's surging strength in the Asian market.

He wouldn't be drawn on which of the blonds was more popular in Japan.

"You'll have to look at the statistics because I have no idea," he said ahead of this weekend grand prix swim meet in Sydney.

Japan as been going gaga over Beckham this week, with the English soccer captain expected to reap $US17 million ($A25 million) during an Asian tour this week, when he makes stops in Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

A recent marketing study in Tokyo found he was the most-liked male foreigner appearing in TV commercials.

Specifically aimed at the Japanese market, Becks advertises chocolate covered nuts, mobile phones and a Tokyo beauty salon.

Thorpe, in contrast, is the face of a $20 million government campaign to draw tourists to Australia. He endorses the No.1 sports drink in Japan and is in a media partnership with TV Asahi.

At his peak, Thorpe's face was everywhere in Japan.

Last year, he adorned the prime space above the entrance to the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's Ginza district.

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