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Tag - idol-pop

 
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July 25, 2026
 

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IDOL POP

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2022
What can we expect from J-pop in 2022?
Ditch the downer sounds of 2021 for brighter bops, Shibuya-kei and breakout hits via TikTok.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 6, 2021
¡®Fanatic¡¯ documentary deals with what happens when your favorite K-pop star breaks bad
A new documentary film titled ¡°Fanatic¡± explores the world of K-pop fandom. Can it also teach us something about the fans of J-pop stars?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2021
¡®In Those Days¡¯: Say hello to the fanboy life of days gone by
Rikiya Imaizumi¡¯s bittersweet comedy-drama delves into the fan culture that flourished during the heyday of idol collective Hello! Project in the early 2000s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 13, 2020
Japanese students take idol worship to a whole new level
Take a look at the world of Unidol, in which teams of Japanese university students emulate the moves of pop groups in a battle to be the greatest idol copy dance club.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 31, 2019
¡®Produce 101 Japan¡¯ marks the spread of K-pop diplomacy and offers a journey for J-pop
As the action on talent competition show ¡®Produce 101 Japan¡¯ hots up, we look at its origins in Korean pop music and the original ¡®Produce 101¡¯ franchise
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 30, 2019
Rino Sashihara: Can one ¡®idol¡¯ beat the system?
An idol group such as AKB48 is designed for members to be easily replaced. The performers existing in these environments constantly get shuffled around and eventually ¡°graduate¡± ¡ª a term used for when they leave. Fans might become attached to a specific member and follow them on their musical journey....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 18, 2019
Japan to be given a lesson in idol pop with ¡®Produce 101 Japan¡¯
Last week, Japanese talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and South Korea¡¯s CJ E&M announced a new talent competition TV show for Japan, set to debut later this year. And it¡¯s not just another program to fill up the back end of 2019, but will be a test case to see if the traditional power structures of male...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 4, 2019
A look at some of Japan¡¯s lesser-known idol-pop players
I made my first trip to Japan just over 10 years ago to see concerts by Morning Musume and AKB48, two of the country¡¯s biggest idol-pop groups this century. What struck me most about the experience was the camaraderie among the fans, it was a closeness that was unlike anything I¡¯d seen with Western pop...
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 3, 2019
An idol¡¯s fans have the power to make change in Japan
Being a fan of any entertainer in 2019 can be a challenge, as scandals both old and new make blindly supporting artists an impossible task. That might be doubly true for Japanese idol-pop acts, who inhabit a corner of the country¡¯s entertainment industry made up predominantly of young women, which has...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 26, 2018
Seiko Oomori: J-pop¡¯s reigning rule-breaker
Pop music often opts for positivity rather than confronting the uncomfortable, but Seiko Oomori has never really adhered to J-pop norms.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 27, 2018
Sally Amaki¡¯s life as an animated idol-pop star
Though she liked anime growing up, Sally Amaki never thought she¡¯d grow up to be an anime character.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 21, 2018
Online media pick up #MeToo stories the major outlets miss
The Japanese media love a scandal and so far 2018 hasn¡¯t disappointed in that regard. Two recent stories centered around J-pop idols have been mostly ignored by mainstream outlets, but both have taken off online thanks to web publications, hinting at a shift unfolding in the nation¡¯s news landscape....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2016
¡®Chubby¡¯ group Pottya takes aim at obesity prejudice
Competition is cutthroat among Japan¡¯s thousands of idol wannabes, but one approach seems to be working for a group of ¡°chubby¡± girls deploying their cheeky cuteness to combat prejudice against obesity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 13, 2016
Resistance is futile to Babymetal¡¯s ascent
Babymetal ¡ª ¡°Metal Resistance¡± (Toy¡¯s Factory)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2016
Japan¡¯s ¡®Masked Girls¡¯ seek fame under cover
Standing out from Japan¡¯s many girl groups can be a daunting task, but one act, Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls), has found the answer by hiding behind masks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2016
Silent Siren delivers a dose of idol-pop pep on ¡®S¡¯
With a proliferation of idol-pop groups in the music scene these days, getting a start in the industry isn¡¯t always easy ¡ª even for a band made up of former models.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2015
AKB48 ¡°Koko ga Rhodes da, Koko de Tobe!¡±
Idol group AKB48 elicits extreme reactions from people. The unit has nurtured a rabid fanbase who are willing to buy multiple copies of a single CD to show their devotion. On the other hand, critics despise the group¡¯s brand of by-the-book pop and the sideshow shenanigans the members engage in (or are...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 3, 2015
Negicco¡¯s new album turns the onion idols into Shibuya-kei¡¯s new hope
The crowd at the sold-out Liquidroom show furiously pumps glowsticks shaped like green onions in time with the beat coming out of the venue¡¯s sound system. They scream when three young women appear, and the energy only grows as the first song of the night gets rolling. It gets especially loud when they...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 23, 2014
Who was music being made for in 2014?
When looking back on the year in music, the big question music fans should be asking themselves is, ¡°Who was music being made for in 2014?¡± Looking at the broader picture, we can find the answers writ large across the Japanese music scene.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2014
Idol-pop act Necronomidol is taken to the dark side
It¡¯s a week until Necronomidol¡¯s big show and, practicing at a dance studio in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward, the four members make a decision to change one line from ¡°We¡¯ve come to bring about the Apocalypse¡± to ¡°We¡¯ve come to enact Armageddon.¡± Manager Ricky Wilson agrees; another problem solved.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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