The Music Awards Japan (abbreviated as MAJ), is a music awards by the Japanese music industry to honour musical talents from Asia, Japan and the Western regions. The awards are organized by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) in collaboration with the Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The inaugural award show is set to be hold on May 21 and 22, 2025, at the ROHM Theater, Kyoto.
On December 2024, the six main categories have been introduced with more categories to be announced in January 2025.[3][4] The inaugural award show is set to be hold on May 21 and 22, 2025 at ROHM Theater in Kyoto.[4] On January 15, 2025, NHK announced to broadcast the second day of the award show, while both days are to be livestreamed globally on YouTube.[5] A showcase titled Matsuri '25: Japanese Music Experience was announced to be held on March 16, 2025, at Peacock Theater, Los Angeles with Ado, Atarashii Gakko! and Yoasobi performing.[6] This is first global showcase to be held prior to the awards to raise awareness of Japanese music artists and the music prize itself.[7]
In the week of the award show the MAJ Music Week is set to be held including concerts, seminars and conferences.[8]
Background
During a press conference held at Live Entertainment Expo in Tokyo, Tatsuya Nomura, the CEO of the Federation of Music Producers Japan stated that the consumer behavior has changed drastically in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic shifting from physical purchases to digital media. Nomura added that the establishment of an award show similar to the Grammy Awards in the United States might be able to increase the international interest in Japanese music and support the expansion of the domestic music market.[8]
Shunsuke Muramatsu, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of Japan and founding member of CEIPA, further explained that the music industry is on the verge of change which can be observed since 2019. Muramatsu stated that the declining domestic music market is a result of the shrinking population. He noted that opening of the domestic music market for a global audience is necessary.[8]
From this pool a panel consisting out of persons from the Japanese music industry select five nominations for each category.[2] The winners of most categories are selected by an international jury consisting out of 5.000 people of the international music industry.[9] At the inaugural award ceremony there are two categories where the nominations and winners are select by a public vote on Spotify.[10]
In an interview with Real Sound, Nomura explained the details of the voting process which is held in two rounds. Eligible voting members of the first round of voting are given up to five votes each. It is possible to vote at least once for the own work or a work where the voting member was part of in another function depending on if the work has been selected by the automated system. Only voting members who participated in the first voting round are eligible for voting in the second voting.[11]
This section is missing information about The following categories are adapted from the official website of the MAJ which seem to be upper categories. The Japanese-languaged article features more categories without naming a source of information. Detailed categories are available with the announcement of the nominations at the latest point of time.. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(February 2025)
Japanese Singer Song-writer
Japanese Alternative
Japanese Dance Pop
Japanese Hip Hop
International Pop
Anime
J-Rock
J-Pop
Enka/Kayōkyoku
Japanese R&B/Soul
Idol Culture
Vocaloid Culture
Game Soundtrack
International Alternative
International Hip Hop
Indonesia Pop
International R&B/Soul
Classical Album
Jazz Album
Music Video
Collaboration
Dance Performance
DJ
Instrumental
Revival
Notes
↑ Artists who have been nominated for Album of the Year and/or Song of the Year categories are eligible for a nomination in Artist of the Year.[10]
↑ Artists who meet the criteria according to the release of the Billboard Japan Heatseeksers Songs are ineligible for a nomination in New Artist of the Year category. These criteria are:[10]
Artists who have ranked in the top-20 in the Japan Hot 100 and/or in the top-10 Japan Hot Albums six months prior the award show
Artists who have ranked in the top-20 and stayed for at least 4 months (17 weeks) in the Billboard Japan Heatseekers Songs six months prior the award show
↑ The most-successful songs by a Japanese artist based on streaming, downloads and video views. If a Japanese artist has more than one song charted on the global charts, the highest-ranking song will be eligible for nomination.[10]
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