NAGAKUTE, Japan — The dance music throbs as the men jaunt down the runway, showing off the latest in summer corporate fashion: pinstripe jackets and shirts unbuttoned rakishly to mid-chest.

But you won't find many chiseled features on the faces of these models — instead of young turks in their prime, the men strutting before the crowd are wispy-haired company executives in their 50s or older.

After decades of lavishing clothes, cosmetics and accessories on free-spending young women, Japan's billion-dollar vanity industry has discovered the consumer of the future: the middle-age man.

"Mr. Company President is sexy!" gushed an announcer as Toyota Motor's chairman of the board, Hiroshi Okuda, showed off a sharp black suit and pants at a fashion show this week at the 2005 World Fair.

Okuda, 72, is not alone in keeping a close eye on his appearance.

Glossy fashion magazines aimed at middle-age men are selling well, and department stores have revamped their men's sections to cash in on the trend. New products aimed at male vanity abound.

"Before, men in their 50s and 60s used to pay less attention to fashion, but now they're the generation that enjoys life," said Eiji Utsunomiya, salesman in charge of the men's section at Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo.

It's quite a turnaround for middle-age Japanese men, or "oyaji," who have long been considered anything but fashionable.

Instead of Armani suits, the typical oyaji trudges to work in a blue jacket and slacks, a cigarette tucked in his mouth. After work, they pack bars and cheap restaurants for obligatory drinking sessions with colleagues and clients.

The oyaji has also been the target of cultural derision. Teenage daughters are known to refuse to have their clothes washed in the same load with their fathers'; some wives refer to their retired husbands as "sodai gomi" — big garbage.

The oyaji of the past grew out of the hardscrabble generations that rebuilt Japan after World War II and powered it into the highest ranks of the world economy. But the 40-somethings of today were in their prime during the heady, free-spending 1980s — and they've held onto some habits.

"Many of our readers experienced the bubble economy when they were young," said Ichiro Kishida, editor-in-chief of LEON, a fashion magazine for older men. "I think they still can't give up on sexy stuff like this, even though they are middle-age men now."

LEON is one of the most visible purveyors of the trend. Founded in 2003, its circulation has exploded in the past year, from 38,000 a month to 70,000.

The magazine typifies the image the new oyaji are striving for: a dashing Italian in pink slacks and black shirt graces the cover. "This is what's new with Italian 'Oyaji!' " the headline reads. Inside are advertisements for Armani, Bulgari and Boss.

LEON's success is breeding competitors. UOMO, another Italian-heavy style magazine for mature men (the name means "man" in Italian), went on sale in March.

Retail also is changing its focus to plumb the growing market. Japan's youth-centered clothing chain United Arrow started a new line of stores this spring — Darjeeling Days — offering young-looking but upscale leisure wear for 50-year-olds.

Shinnosuke Fuse, a salesman at the first outlet in Tokyo, said the company came up with Darjeeling Days after discovering older men feel out of place shopping alongside 20-somethings in ripped jeans and tinted hair.

Darjeeling Days is clearly for a mature audience, with dark wood furnishings and a soft leather sofa for customers to relax in while the cashier tallies the bill. A casual sports jacket and simple white shirt can go for $500.

Fuse said their target is men aged 45-60.

"Those people have money, but they don't have a place to spend it," he said. "A lot of them think, 'Why don't I dabble a little in fashion?' "