That may have something to do with Japanese people being less hairy on their bodies in general?
I wouldn't even fathom the idea of getting rid of my body hair, personnaly. And I'm not that hairy. I have a clean shaved face, though. I don't like that fashion of looking like you're badly shaved: either shave or grow a proper beard, but don't keep that strange half-assed beard! I'm sure Viktor would approve, and Viktor is such a model of masculinity he should make adds for Axe.
Could you imagine?
"Hi, I'm Viktor from Suikoden. When coming back from battle, I like to enjoy a little bath here with my pal Tetsu. And nothing feels better than Axe© HollyBerry Scent™ on my skin."
"Hello, I'm Flik the Blue Lighting, you may have heard about me and my feats in the Liberation Army. To pick up hot chicks like Odessa, there is only one trick: Axe© Flowing Rune Freshness™. Thanks to Axe© Flowing Rune Freshness™ you never lose your masculine scent, even in this is pile of junk that Viktor calls a Mercenary Fortress."
"Hi, I'm Tengaar. And I like real men. You see, Hix used to be so weak and he failed to satisfy me. But now, he uses Axe© Special Fu-Su-Lu Signature™ and he has become so masculine I actually shut up when he tries to speak".