There are many factors to keep in mind when trying to break into the Japanese music industry as a non-Japanese person. One that might be easy to overlook but ultimately rings true: You're going to have to work hard.
"I wouldn't say Japan or Tokyo is welcoming. Nobody is going to be like, 'Oh, you're a foreign person who wants to work in music! Here's a bunch of money and contacts. Do you need anything else?'" says Ricky Wilson, manager of independent idol group Necronomidol. "But if you really want to do it, you can pull it off."
This is a sentiment shared by three other members of a roundtable discussion held recently at The Japan Times regarding life as a non-Japanese member of the country's music industry. Joining Wilson were Jayda B, a radio personality and organizer of the women-to-the-front creative agency and electronic-music event Bae; Adam Graham, a member of rock band Joy Opposites and formerly of Fact; and Lauren Rose Kocher, who works in business development at Sony Music Japan and who co-founded the Tokyo Dance Music Event.