Shaping Japan's Entertainment Landscape

The Japanese entertainment industry is a rich tapestry of innovation and tradition, with roots stretching back to Noh and Kabuki theater. Today, it boasts influential leaders across various genres—from Studio Ghibli in anime and Nintendo in gaming to Akira Kurosawa in cinema and J-Pop acts like Yoasobi. In your view, what makes the Japanese entertainment industry unique today?

It’s difficult to say. I’ve been involved in this field for over 50 years now. After graduating from university, I went straight into the entertainment industry, so I haven’t worked in any other sectors. I can’t speak much about the world outside of entertainment.

When I talk about entertainment, I’m really referring to music, not necessarily including figures like Kurosawa or studios like Ghibli. In my area, most of my peers were born after World War II, during a time when American culture was flowing into Japan. While we didn’t always have a full understanding of what was happening overseas, foreign music, television, and film were constantly being introduced.

I realize I’m not answering your question directly, but when I was in school, I personally preferred European culture over American. At the time, before TV became widespread, there were many cinemas in Japan, and the film industry was thriving. I grew up watching a lot of British, Italian, and French movies. I wasn’t drawn to American films, like the Westerns by John Ford—they felt too straightforward. In contrast, European films had a more nuanced, humanistic quality, and among other things, music played an important role. They weren’t musicals, but the music mattered.

As television emerged, TV dramas began to replace films, and many cinemas closed. These dramas had a strong influence on Japanese society, and at the same time, European and American music became more prominent. This exposure had a big impact on us as students. Schools had musical instruments, often from Japanese manufacturers like Yamaha and Kawai. When I was around 12 or 13, you could buy a guitar for about JPY 3,000. A drum set costs around JPY 12,000. Even amplifiers were affordable. Because the instruments were accessible, we could quickly start playing the music we heard. I was in a band in junior high and had a lot of fans.

In fact, one of the reasons rock bands became popular in Japan is because the manufacturers made the instruments affordable. That allowed young people to easily reproduce the music they admired. Back then—60 or 70 years ago—it was common for people to recreate and even reinterpret original songs in their own way. That’s part of why the quality of the audience in Japan is so high. It’s not just a matter of being good or bad; it’s more about synergy and cultural coherence.

Something unique about Japan is the strength of our broadcasting companies, including NHK and the five major private networks. Before TV, FM radio played a big role, and both formats did a lot to popularize music across the country.

So when I entered the entertainment world after university, the market was already there. If you had the passion and the ability to manage and support artists, you could build a career in this field.

Initially, we were listening to Western music. Then came the era of new music songs and the emergence of original music created specifically for the Japanese audience. I think that marked the beginning of a true business model in Japanese entertainment.

I personally wanted to explore overseas markets, and I made that recommendation. But at the time, Japan’s domestic market was so large that artists didn’t feel the need to go abroad. Record sales were strong, and the language barrier also played a role. There was no pressing reason to expand internationally. I also think that because Japan has enjoyed uninterrupted peace since the war—thanks in part to the role of the United States—we’ve been able to focus on peaceful industries like entertainment.

In that sense, we’ve been a very fortunate country. Our domestic market has allowed us to be influential in entertainment—even without going global—with figures like Kurosawa and Studio Ghibli gaining international recognition.

You mentioned that Japan once had a large domestic market, which reduced the need to look overseas. But today, the country is facing a serious challenge with a declining population, which is shrinking the domestic consumer base. At the same time, Japanese entertainment faces growing competition abroad—particularly from Korean culture, with its rising film industry and globally marketed K-Pop. How is your company addressing the impact of this shrinking domestic market, and how are you positioning yourself to compete globally?

We haven’t really figured out how to differentiate ourselves yet, so that’s something we need to work on. If you look at the population, Japan has about three times as many people as Korea, so we've been able to afford a more domestically focused approach. The background and business environment are also quite different.

Since its inception, the fan club model has been a major source of revenue as a result of our emphasis on communication with our fans. In Japan, there has been a culture of paying membership fees and supporting artists for about 60 years, while in Korea, both fee-based and free fan clubs have been established over the past few years. The membership fee is approximately JPY 4,000 to JPY 6,000, and fans are willing to support their favorite artists along with their works and goods. Even then, they still might not be able to get tickets because we manage supply and demand very carefully—our concerts are always full. That sense of rarity drives people to join fan clubs in the hopes of getting tickets.

This kind of system doesn’t really exist in Western countries, where fan club memberships are usually free or work differently. I’m not entirely sure why this model developed in Japan, but it’s something quite unique to our market.

BABYMETAL

I founded Amuse and  I became very interested in the international market and decided to take the company overseas. One of our groups, BABYMETAL—a three-member girl’s unit—has been part of that effort. They’ve performed in 101 overseas concerts in 2024, including in countries like Germany and Australia.

That said, achieving success abroad isn’t easy. We still haven’t figured out a solid business model for organizing concerts internationally. Even so, I’d say we’re relatively unique in our efforts to expand overseas, even reaching markets like South America—something few other Japanese companies are doing.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH" by SOUTHERN ALL STARS

Many Korean artists are also holding concerts overseas. Japan, on the other hand, is a very open market—it accepts all kinds of musical genres. For example, while there are rock bands in Korea, the genre doesn't have much foundation there and has yet to become firmly established. As a result, there seems to be fewer mainstream singer-songwriters compared to Japan.

Korean hip-hop idols have been writing and composing their own music for the past decade or so, but many of their songs are still produced by overseas producers

In contrast, our artists in Japan often write and compose their own music. A great example is SOUTHERN ALL STARS. They’ve been around since 1978. When I first met them, they were still university students, and I was in my 30s. They have released albums that have all debuted at number one on the charts, including their most recent release in March 2025, and they toured in the year 2025, the last show of which was at the Tokyo Dome.

You mentioned taking your concerts overseas, and today, streaming platforms and social media have created more opportunities for local artists to reach global audiences. How are you leveraging these platforms, and how are you bridging the engagement gap between online and in-person fans?

Streaming services have had a huge impact on us—it’s honestly a bit out of control. In the past, we were able to manage and oversee everything, but now it’s much harder to maintain that level of control. Streaming may be the trend, but at Amuse, our primary focus remains on live performances. Live events are the core of our company, and I personally believe that if an artist can’t succeed in a live setting, they haven’t truly proven themselves.

Another example is BEGIN, a band from Okinawa that’s celebrating their 35th anniversary this year. They performed at Budokan in March this year, and our entire team went to celebrate with them. All members will be 57 years old this year.

What initiatives are you implementing to attract and develop new talent in the coming years?

We’re doing a variety of things. We hold auditions both online and in person. Our staff are also scouting talent in places like Korea and Taiwan. As I mentioned earlier, the Japanese market used to be enough, but now we have to think globally. We want to discover and nurture artists who have the ambition to succeed overseas. I believe most artist management companies share that mindset today.

We were fortunate to be a first mover in this space, but now we’re at a point where we need to take the next step forward. I haven’t done an interview in many years, so I want to take this opportunity to speak openly—especially because our employees and artists will be reading this article. I want to send a message to them, and to their families as well: we need to take action and move ahead together.

What key resources or support does Amuse provide to help artists improve their chances of success?

We have various divisions with dedicated staff supporting artists in a wide variety of areas. For example, we have a subsidiary called Kulture, which combines entertainment and emerging technologies (AI, blockchain, Web3, Metaverse, etc.) to increase fan engagement. Last November, it also launched KLEW, Japan's first communication platform based on live tickets. It is a digital communication platform where fans who have tickets to the same live performance can interact not only with each other, but also with the performing artists. Through Kulture, we aim to develop entertainment projects from a new digital perspective and provide new opportunities for artists.

What would you say is Amuse’s main competitive advantage, or what sets you apart from others in the entertainment industry?

I think our biggest advantage is our artist portfolio of over 200 artists from a wide variety of genres and personalities, and artist management based on a long history and a long-term perspective. For example, we have continued to manage SOUTHERN ALL STARTS and Yuji Miyake, who are still active at the top of their field, for over 40 years, Masharu Fukuyama for 35 years, and Perfume for near 25. We’re a publicly listed company, so everything is transparent—our accounts are open, and there’s nothing hidden. That transparency builds trust, and it’s one of the reasons our artists continue to renew their contracts with us.

Our strength also lies in creativity. We have creative managers and producers who collaborate closely with artists, forming long-term relationships. While media platforms may evolve, the relationship and trust between our artists and the company remain constant.

We’re like a family. I first discovered Perfume when they were around 12 years old in Hiroshima. I spoke with their parents about bringing them to Tokyo for junior high school. I explained that we had a dormitory for them to live in, and that they could attend school during the day and come to the company after school for dance and vocal training. Although their formation was 25 years ago, we developing their talent. Through that experience, we built a relationship that feels like family.

This kind of support isn’t about providing specialized technology—it’s about deep, personal investment. We stand by our artists. Even as technology evolves, what matters most is nurturing talent and building trust. I believe that’s why Amuse has remained strong in this industry for so long.

Our approach is that the company and the artist are equal partners in co-creating creativity. This is what makes AMUSE unique. We grow with our artists and provide them with human and financial guarantees as well as entertainment activities after their debut. This is unheard of in other countries.

Perfume

Group Members: KASHIYUKA, NOCCHi, a-chan

From what I understand, your focus has primarily been on Japanese artists, but you’ve also expanded internationally. You entered the U.S. market back in 1986, and later expanded into Asia with offices in China, Korea, and Hong Kong. What motivated that move overseas, and what is your current international strategy?

The main reason Japanese artists didn’t want to go overseas in the past was because the domestic market was already large and thriving—and there was also the language barrier. We were taught that if you couldn’t speak English, you couldn’t succeed globally. But in reality, that’s not necessarily true. Today, artists can perform concerts overseas entirely in Japanese.

For example, Perfume played live in New York, and all their shows were sold out—even though they don’t speak English. Sometimes they’ll speak in Japanese on stage and hand the microphone to someone in the audience to help interpret. They’ve developed such a strong international fan base that many fans are happy to volunteer as translators during shows.

The global popularity of anime has also played a big role. Many anime fans are also fans of Japanese music, and they often learn some Japanese and want to sing along at concerts in the original language.

Because of these changes, we’re now encouraging our artists by telling them that even if they can’t—or don’t want to—speak English, they can still succeed internationally by performing and connecting with audiences in Japanese. In fact, our five-piece rock band FLOW has been steadily touring worldwide, holding 48 shows in 23 countries since 2024 on the strength of anime tie-in songs.

What kind of support does Amuse provide to artists when they perform or expand overseas?

I’m considering a variety of approaches. Ideally, I’d like to give every artist the opportunity to try going overseas. Of course, we have to be selective about who is best suited for it, but compared to the past, many more artists today are eager to take that step and perform internationally.

Which market do you see as having the most growth potential for Japanese artists and for Amuse as a company?

Of course, our primary focus will remain on working with Japanese artists. The country I now consider promising is Thailand. There is a cultural affinity and a musical foundation. I would like to discover, nurture, and produce local artists on the premise of cultural exchange, just as we do in Japan. We’re also targeting other key markets in East and Southeast Asia, including South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. We believe these regions offer the greatest growth potential.

We have a subsidiary company called LIVE VIEWING JAPAN (LVJ), which specializes in the live viewing business of broadcasting both simultaneously and delayed, and liveconcerts, stages, and events to movie theaters and other venues in Japan and abroad. In April 2025, the company will establish LIVE VIEWING ENTERTAINMENT (LVE) jointly with Caton Technology, a Singapore-based network technology company, with the aim of establishing business in Asia and further global expansion.

We’re expanding this model across Asia, including plans to use cinemas in Asian countries. What we’re doing is broadcasting live events—what we call "outside live events"—to theaters, and we have dedicated digital teams supporting this effort. In Southeast Asia and East Asia, we will offer not only movies in theaters, but also the value of live entertainment experiences that allow people to participate from the theater with the same sense of unity and presence as at the venue.

This model benefits both Japanese and Western artists by allowing fans to experience performances in a unique and immersive way. I don’t believe this kind of setup exists in Western countries. The high-resolution large screen and high-quality sound system offer a concert-like experience that’s much better than watching on a TV. And unlike a traditional concert, you can sit comfortably and enjoy it with a beer—something you can’t usually do at a live event.

As I mentioned earlier, supply and demand are tightly managed in Japan, so concerts are typically sold out and artists don’t extend their runs. That means inbound tourists often can’t attend live shows. The LVJ theater experience is a great alternative, and we see strong potential to expand this model not only across Asia but eventually into Western markets as well.

Regarding this cross-media approach, we’ve seen some companies pursue consolidation to improve efficiency. I noticed that you recently acquired a stake in miraibox and Far Eastern TV Entertainment in Taiwan, among other investments. How important are these kinds of acquisitions to Amuse’s overall growth strategy?

To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in acquisitions in general. However, we are actively looking to acquire strong companies in the AI field. Our hope is that AI can help us reduce costs in areas like animation production. I believe AI holds great potential, and we currently have a few promising candidates under consideration.

Your company is celebrating its 47th anniversary. Let’s imagine we return three years from now to interview you again for Amuse’s 50th anniversary. As chairman, what goals or ambitions do you hope to achieve over the next three years?

I’m thinking about organizing a major live event to celebrate our 50th anniversary. One of my goals is to introduce more international music to Japan. When I was younger, Stevie Wonder came to perform here, but today, Tokyo isn’t usually the first choice for international musicians. Most of them choose one city in Asia—often Singapore, or Shanghai and Beijing in China.

I want to change that. I’d like to bring top artists from around the world to Japan, not only to perform but also to collaborate with Japanese musicians. I believe this kind of cultural exchange would inspire both our artists and audiences. That’s the vision behind this music festival.

As I mentioned earlier, capacity of Japanese artists’ concert are managed very tightly, and many shows sell out quickly. Because of that, inbound tourists often don’t have the chance to experience Japanese live performances. I want to create more opportunities for them—whether through live concerts or through cinema-based live viewings—so more people can discover just how talented Japanese artists are.

If you could share one message with the world that captures the essence of Amuse, what would it be?

My message would be: peace through our culture.

For more information, please visit their website at: https://www.amuse.co.jp/en/about/