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July 15, 2025
 

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MUSIC STREAMING

The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2025
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
Halfway through 2025, J-pop is in flux — swinging between AI absurdity, idol nostalgia and viral sugar highs.
Apple Music personalities (from left) Ebro Darden, Kentaro Ochiai, Zane Lowe and Mino came together for a special recording in late April to discuss music and celebrate the newly opened Apple Music studio in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Music
May 8, 2025
With a new Shibuya studio, Apple Music bets big on Japan
Streaming numbers are up, world tours are growing, and now, Tokyo has a new studio aimed at amplifying Japan’s voice.
The EU hit Apple with a €1.8 billion fine ($1.9 billion) on Monday for violating the bloc's laws by preventing music streaming services from informing users about subscription options outside of its App Store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024
EU fines Apple €1.8 billion over curbs on music streaming services
The European Union found Apple had violated law by preventing music streaming services from telling users about subscription options outside its App Store.
Yasuhide Uno, Usen-Next Holdings CEO, has transformed his father’s company into Netflix’s biggest competitor in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2023
Reluctant CEO becomes billionaire at Netflix rival in Japan
Initially wanting nothing to do with his father's cable music company, Yasuhide Uno's faith in video streaming helped him rebuild it for a new era.
Sony Group has raised its full-year outlook after its media divisions outperformed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2023
Sony raises sales and profit outlook as media helps offset mobile
The adjustments suggest resilient consumer spending and a weaker yen are stabilizing the business.
The Gacha Pop playlist on Spotify offers a wonderfully scattered collection of J-pop chart-toppers, long-running favorites and next-generation names, reflecting the global ambitions of homegrown artists.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 11, 2023
The summer of Gacha Pop
Spotify’s curated playlist encapsulates J-pop’s diverse range, but more than that, it shows how Japanese music travels in the world today.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 19, 2023
Netflix and Amazon addiction turns into ‘digital deficit’ and hassle for the yen
The deficit from spending on such services reached ¥4.8 trillion last year, almost 90% of Japan’s services account deficit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2022
Why Spotify's Car Thing was destined for the hardware graveyard
The device was aimed at increasing the number of users who listen to music or podcasts while in the car.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2022
China bans most exclusive copyright deals for digital music platforms
The order comes amid a widening crackdown by Chinese regulators on the country's technology sector.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 19, 2021
Spotify gets visual in a new TV Tokyo show about podcasting
Spotify dips its toe into broadcast television with a new show that will either be a boon for podcasts or chain restaurants.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 18, 2019
Japan jumps into the music stream
The biggest moment for streaming music in Japan this year came via a handwritten letter. In late June, Kenta Matsumoto of pop-punk trio Wanima shared a note on Twitter announcing that his band's entire catalog would be uploaded to streaming music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 30, 2018
It'll take more than Ayumi Hamasaki to help streaming services in Japan
Ayumi Hamasaki has seen better days as a J-pop superstar, but she still carries some clout. So it should have been noteworthy that her newest release, the five-song "Trouble," would arrive on streaming services a bit earlier than in stores. That's a win for fledgling in-Japan operations such as Spotify...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 18, 2018
YouTube to launch music streaming service on May 22
YouTube will launch a music streaming service next week, it said Thursday, as it looks to use its popular internet video brand to tap the growing market for paid music streaming.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2017
Record labels face lower revenues from streaming as Apple moves to renegotiate ties
Apple Inc. is seeking to reduce record labels' share of revenue from streaming as part of negotiations to revise the iPhone maker's overall relationship with the music industry, according to people familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 24, 2016
Can Spotify dent streaming-averse Japan?
Spotify's long-awaited launch last month has industry watchers wondering whether it will make a major breakthrough in altering Japan's $3 billion music industry, where 80 percent of sales still come from CDs and other physical formats.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2016
Can Spotify crack CD-loving Japan?
The music-streaming company may find the world's second largest and most idiosyncratic music market a tough nut to crack.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 29, 2016
Spotify finally launches in Japan, a nation where other music streaming services have struggled
Popular music streaming service Spotify is trying its luck in Japan, where consumer demand for packaged media such as CDs is traditionally strong and the market for streaming still has huge potential to grow.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2016
Facebook Japan launches social sharing of streamed music
Facebook Japan has launched a music streaming function, Music Stories, on the Japanese version of its social networking platform.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2015
Does the future of Japanese music depend on streaming services?
When music consultant Mikiro Enomoto asked a class of Kyoto Seika University students how they listened to new music last year, he reckons 80 percent of them mentioned YouTube or YouTube-linked sites. When he asked the same question to this year's class, almost all of them said they don't bother looking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2015
Nigerian answer to Spotify lures investors from MTN to Jay-Z
The mansion, the pool, the Bentley, the life-size portrait and the gold medallions are the spoils of a revolution in Nigeria and music superstar D'banj is enjoying them.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Tropical Storm Nari moves northward, with possible landfall Tuesday
Tropical Storm Nari's forecast path as of Monday morning
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Students in Japan struggle with Japanese language and math sections on national exam
The correct answer rate for the Japanese language section on a national test dropped to 67.0% from 67.8% the previous year among elementary school sixth-graders.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
Hideo Kojima, the leading auteur in Japanese video games, has skirted controversy in the wake of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.

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