genre pop

“We’ve been trying to spread our music from Japan to the world,” Lilas Ikuta, singer for the Tokyo-based duo YOASOBI, told the audience at a sold-out Peacock Theater show in Los Angeles during a break in the group’s frenetic, synth-driven pop show. Already stars in their home country, Ikuta, who goes by the stage name Ikura, and her bandmate, Ayase, are beginning to get serious help finding fans beyond their home turf.
YOASOBI’s appearance that night was part of a concerted effort to push Japanese pop music — J-pop — far beyond the island nation. The March 16 showcase — matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES, which also featured Ado and ATARASHII GAKKO! — is the creation of The Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), an organization created by the five Japanese music industry organizations, along with Los Angeles-based promoter Goldenvoice. CEIPA was founded in 2023 by the Recording Industry of Japan (RIAJ), the Music Publishers Association of Japan (MPAJ), the Federation of Music Producers Japan (FMPJ), Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME) and All Japan Concert and Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (A.C.P.C.) An industry mixer and panel discussion before the concert was hosted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Consulate-General of Japan in L.A.

The quest to take J-pop global also has the financial heft of Japan’s largest corporation. In February, CEIPA announced a partnership with Toyota and the launch The Music Way Project, an effort to bring Japanese music to a global audience. The Music Way Project will have overseas bases in L.A., London and Thailand to organize showcases in those regions. It will also help develop artists through a three-pronged approach that includes student seminars, in collaboration with Japanese universities; seminars for young music professionals; and a songwriting camp. Toyota’s “innovation and adventurous spirit,” said CEIPA executive director Taro Kumabe at the press conference, “aligns perfectly with our mission to take Japanese music further into the world.”

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The global success of South Korean music — K-pop — and the resulting growth of companies such as HYBE and SM Entertainment have people in Japan wondering why J-pop can’t be the next great music export. “There is a chance for Japan as well,” Tatsuya Nomura, board member of CEIPA and president of FMPJ, told Billboard through an interpreter. “You have to understand, K-pop music is based on ‘80s Japanese pop. So, as long as we strive forward, we can do it.”

Japan already has a presence in the U.S. mainstream through video games (Final Fantasy, Pokémon), anime (Spirited Away), fashion (Uniqlo), food (sushi) and martial arts (karate). But while K-pop songs and albums regularly appear at the top of Billboard’s U.S. charts, J-pop remains a niche. A few Japanese artists have made some headway. In 2019, pop trio Perfume became the first J-pop act to perform at Coachella. Babymetal, a heavy metal band fronted by three females, tours the U.S. regularly and has appeared at festivals such as Sick New World and Rock on the Range. YAOSOBI performed at Lollapalooza and Coachella in 2024 but didn’t build a U.S. tour around those appearances.

Successfully breaking J-pop in the U.S. and other foreign markets would provide a financial windfall for the Japanese music industry. While Japan was the second-largest recorded music market in 2024, according to the IFPI, it was just 23% the size of the U.S. And because streaming dominates in the U.S. — it accounted for 84% of 2024 revenue, according to the RIAA — there is a huge, internet-connected audience ready to push play on emerging trends. Last year, the global music market reached $29.6 billion, with $20.4 billion coming just from streaming.

South Korea’s early embrace of streaming helped K-pop find fans in the U.S. and elsewhere. With streaming starting to take off in Japan, Nomura believes the time is right for J-pop to look beyond its borders. “Up until now, the Japanese market was mainly focused on CD sales,” he says. “But after COVID happened, people started listening to music on a streaming service. That opened a new page for Japanese music outside of Japan.”

Japan’s government wants to give J-pop a push, too. Faced with decades of deflation and stagnant wages, it’s looking to its content industries to help lift wages and commodity prices. These grand ambitions were laid out in a 2024 report by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) titled, “Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism 2024,” which described the government’s dedication to increase exports of the country’s content — including music — to a world audience that’s easily reachable by digital distribution. The plan includes, among other things, education, assisting business development and using global platforms “to encourage the formation of local, dedicated fan communities.” Nomura said CEIPA does not receive any government funding.

Michael Africk, a former recording artist with songwriting and production credits on numerous hits in Japan, also believes that J-pop is ready for a bigger stage. Africk’s Handcraft Entertainment recently raised $1 million to help build a multi-faceted company that Africk says will encompass music, fashion, merchandise and cosmetics. The relatively small sum is just “a start,” he says, and the next funding round is already underway.

Africk sees South Korea’s success as a blueprint for how Japan can work in foreign markets and tailor its music to Westerners. K-pop “Westernized really well,” he says. “They understand the economics and the way business works over here. The Japanese struggle with that a bit.” After decades spent working on both sides of the Pacific, Africk believes his experience will help Handcraft bridge the business culture divide between the world’s two largest music markets.

For J-pop to cross over in the West, the artists and music will need to fit the tastes of listeners. Africk explains that J-pop that’s popular in Japan tends to have vocal sounds and chord changes that Western audiences aren’t used to hearing. He seeks out artists who cross cultures seamlessly, speak both Japanese and English perfectly, and have appeal in both Japan and English-speaking countries. While K-pop leans heavily toward ensembles, Handcraft, which is distributed by Virgin Music Group outside of Japan and B ZONE within Japan, has signed two individual artists, Anna Aya and Hana Kuro.

There were two other signs of Japan’s expansion this month. First, blackx, an Asian-focused music investment firm, and ASOBISYSTEM, a management and production company that represents more than 100 artists, formed a strategic partnership to build J-pop outside of Japan. The pairing is meant to provide artists with resources, help them connect with fans globally and create cross-industry collaborations. Then on Tuesday (March 25), Japanese music company Avex made a major move into the U.S. market by naming Brandon Silverstein, founder of S10 Entertainment, the CEO of its newly formed U.S. arm, Avex Music Group. As part of the deal, Avex acquired 100% of S10’s publishing division and added to its existing stake in the management business. The hiring and investment will help Avex break Japanese artists in global markets and position Avex “as a potent force in the international music landscape,” Avex CEO Katsumi Kuroiwa said in a statement.

The Japanese industry will make another push in May with the inaugural Music Awards Japan, an ambitious, two-day event that will name winners of 62 categories based on votes from more than 5,000 members of the Japanese music industry. Set for May 21 and 22 in Kyoto, the awards show will be broadcast in Japan by NHK and will be streamed globally by YouTube. Toyota is a top sponsor of the event.

“Beginning with matsuri ‘25 and the Music Awards Japan, we hope that these events will become the sort of conception or beginning to a lot of different Japanese music artists being able to create more, expand their expression and creativity, to share their love for music with different fans around the world,” CEIPA’s Nomura said during the press conference. “This is going to define the future of the Japanese music industry.”