MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ), the largest music awards in the country, is set to take place at the ROHM Theatre Kyoto on May 21 and 22.
With this year’s theme “Connecting with the World, Illuminating the Future of Music,” the inaugural international music awards is hosted by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), jointly established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry, including Recording Industry Association of Japan, Japan Association of Music Enterprises, the Federation of Music Producers Japan, Music Publishers Association of Japan, and All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference.
Although the entities are in the same industry, the five organizations have rarely collaborated until now because of differences in business and objectives. But the crisis faced by the entertainment and live music industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the spread of streaming services and the success of Japanese entertainment spaces such as the world of anime, prompted the five organizations to unite to work for the future of the country’s music industry.
The content industry, which includes music, is worth 4.7 trillion yen and gaining momentum. That’s a sizable figure compared to the sectors in Japan’s export sales, as the automobile industry is worth 17.3 trillion yen, the semiconductor industry is worth 5.7 trillion and the steel industry is worth 5.1 trillion. The Japan Business Federation has positioned content as a key industry for the country and proposed that it be increased from 4.7 trillion to 20 trillion yen by 2033. The export of entertainment from Japan to the world is set to become a full-fledged industry. And with the aim of supporting and promoting the globalization and sustainable growth of the country’s music industry, CEIPA joined forces with TOYOTA GROUP to launch the MUSIC WAY PROJECT. In March, the project hosted a showcase event in the United States featuring Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI called matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES. It was presented by CEIPA x TOYOTA GROUP “MUSIC WAY PROJECT,” and the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN ceremony is part of this endeavor.
So, why was the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN created in the first place? The answer lies in the changes in Japan’s unique music market, which sits on the border between opportunity and challenge. According to the RIAJ, physical sales accounted for 62.5% of Japan’s content sales in 2024. According to the IFPI, Japan maintains the world’s second largest market and its market structure differs from that of other countries. The temporary increase in disposable time due to the stay-at-home orders during the pandemic led to the expansion of the streaming market worldwide and a change in market structure has also occurred in Japan. Today, the number of artists gaining recognition in the U.S. and East Asian countries is increasing, and the revenues of the streaming and live music industries continue to rise. The Japanese music industry and companies are seeing potential in the fact that the number of Japanese songs and artists being listened to outside the country are only gaining traction.
When it comes to nominations, MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN places importance on four factors: transparency, global collaboration, celebration and creativity. The awards place the highest importance on trust and fairness, both from the artists and creators involved, as well as from the listeners who support the music. The criteria for selection, including the chart data from Billboard Japan, of approximately 3,000 works entered in the 62 categories include the six major awards for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year and more. The considered works are ones that have gained significant attention and recognition between Jan. 29, 2024, to Jan. 26, 2025. The entries for each category were announced in March, and the nominees will be revealed on Thursday, April 17. The detailed rules and schedule for how these works are selected as final nominees are listed on the website. The overseas voting members include Hannah Karp (Editorial Director, Billboard), Lucian Grainge (Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group), Rob Stringer (Chairman, Sony Music Group) and Robert Kyncl (CEO, Warner Music Group).
Now, CEIPA is calling on music industry professionals eligible to vote to consider the future of Japan and music when choosing works they think deserve an award. This means there is nothing wrong with artists voting for their own work or for those of other artists. There are also categories where fans can vote for the artists they support, too.
The nominated works chosen through this process have just been announced and can be seen on the awards’ official website. After another round of voting, the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, which will be broadcasted live on YouTube so viewers across the world can have the opportunity to hear the selected works. This will be a step toward helping artists in their activities overseas. Although the majority of awards are targeted at Japanese works, there are also awards that celebrate Asian artists in collaboration with other Asian countries, and awards that recognize foreign artists who are listened to in Japan.
As the inaugural awards aim to deepen the connection between Japanese music and the rest of the world, Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) has been honored with the Symbol of Music Awards Japan 2025. Founded in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono and the late musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, YMO is one of Japan’s most beloved acts who toured successfully overseas from the early days of their career and gained popularity around the world. The “Rydeen” group’s timeless, innovative music, activities and style make them a “symbolic presence that teaches us the future” that the MAJ strives to aim for. A YMO tribute concert will take place at the Kyoto International Conference Center on May 20.
“We want to use matsuri ’25 and MAJ as springboards to promote Japan’s wonderful music content,” Tatsuya Nomura, president of the Federation of Music Producers Japan and chairman of the Music Awards Japan Executive Committee, said at the matsuri ’25 JP Music Industry Mixer & Panel press conference hosted by JETRO. “And we want to create the future of the Japanese music industry through a cycle in which Japanese artists are inspired by these projects and create wonderful works.”
Global music exchange will influence fans around the world and will lead to the enrichment of the global music market as a whole. As the Japanese music industry prepares to make a strong move toward repositioning itself in the world market, it’s surely worth paying attention to the direction it’s taking.
