SMEJ Holdings

Last updated
SMEJ Holdings Inc.
FormerlySM Entertainment Japan
Company type Holding
FoundedJanuary 22, 2001;24 years ago (2001-01-22)
Headquarters Minami-Aoyama,
Minato, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
 Tak Young-jun (Representative director)
Parent SM Entertainment
Subsidiaries
Website smtown.jp OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Footnotes /references
[1]

SMEJ Holdings, formerly known as SM Entertainment Japan, is the Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment. The company currently functions as a holding company that oversees its subsidiaries. It was established on January 22, 2001, with the Japanese record label Avex and Japanese television production company Yoshimoto Kogyo.

Contents

History

2001–2012: Establishment and Japanese market entry

First SM Entertainment Japan logo S.M. Entertainment Japan Logo.svg
First SM Entertainment Japan logo

In an article released by Kukmin Ilbo , Lee Soo-man mentioned forming a Japanese subsidiary of SM Entertainment, SM Japan, regarding S.E.S. and its artists releasing Japanese-language releases from record companies in Japan rather than being released directly from SM. [2] It was then announced that SM Japan would be established in a joint venture with Yoshimoto Kogyo, EAPS, Kurita Hideichi, and Pronet, investing 358.3 million won. [3] The company was also launched along with the Japanese record label Avex. [4] On March 7, 2001, SM held an event at Velfarre, a club located in Tokyo, to officially announce the establishment of SM Japan and BoA's entry into Japan with the release of the Jumping into the World album and was preparing to operate as an agency essential for Korean performers entering Japan. [5] The company is employed in the premier management of SM artists in Japan, operates sole license rights for the sales of albums, digital music, and merchandise, and advertises the concert industry for concerts and fan meetings held in Japan. [6] It was then reported that TVXQ was preparing to enter the market with a Japanese single to be released on April 27, 2005, while learning the language from the company's manager. [7]

Lee Soo-man acknowledged the significance of overseas expansion in 2001 when overseas marketing was bare and has played a role in penetrating the Japanese market with BoA and Trax, with Nam So-young as the company's chief executive officer (CEO). [8] [a] With the success of BoA and TVXQ in the Japanese music market, J-Min, an artist of SM Entertainment Japan, debuted with the extended play Korogaru Ringo through Avex on September 12. [10] On October 10, 2008, SM Japan established a subsidiary and opened a Korean food restaurant called Podo Namu on Nishi-Azabu in Tokyo, a restaurant specializing in developing and presenting Korean home cooking as a "luxury" dish. [11] Through Avex's official website, the company and Avex Group had recently signed exclusive contracts with Super Junior and f(x) while introducing TVXQ's Yunho and Changmin, as Avex previously decided to remove JYJ members who had a conflict with SM. [12] In an interview with Kim Young-min, he stated that SM previously authorized management along with the distribution of albums with SM Japan had been independently shifting performances and advertisements for Girls' Generation and its artists with comprehensive research and experience in the Japanese market in 2010. [13]

2013–2019: Further ventures, mergers, and acquisitions

SM Entertainment Group, which started producing video content in various fields through SM Culture & Contents (SM C&C), established SM Contents Investment (SMCI) to guarantee quality content. [14] SMCI was launched with the investment of SM Entertainment Japan to operate the network and facilitate diverse overseas projects. [15] Kim Young-min, inaugurated as CEO of SM Entertainment in May 2005, became a representative of overseas subsidiaries, SM Asia and SM Japan. [16] [a] It was reported that the company recorded losses due to its "intensive" investment in temporary costs to establish a management system in the first quarter, with the annual operating profit in 2012 exceeding 10 billion won as of the March 2013 accounting settlement. [17] Previously, SM, Avex Vanguard (AVI), and Universal Music Japan established a joint venture, Everysing Japan, in May 2014 and is currently a subsidiary of SM Japan as per its website. [18] On June 23, 2014, SM stated that it was ordered to pay 10.2 billion won in corporate tax while asserting the additional corporate tax payment was due to the difference in the foreign tax deduction limit for sales generated by SM Japan. [19]

A news article released by Maeil Business Newspaper declared that SM Japan had already achieved K-pop localization and attracted more than 2.1 million concert goers in 2015, establishing a 15% growth from 2014. [20] As part of Shinee's promotion for the group's "Kiminoseide" (2016) release, Shinyan, an imitation of the group members and is under the company, will debut with the song "Kiminoseide (For Cat)" (2016) to offer their music more intimately to the public through cats. [21] On August 12, 2016, SM Japan announced that it had decided to invest approximately 13 billion won in Digital Adventure (DA), a JASDAQ-listed company and a Japanese subsidiary of KeyEast. [22] The announcement was made when SM and KeyEast signed a business agreement as a strategic partner to establish business partnerships in various fields. [23] Consequently, the company was expected to become the second-largest shareholder as it invested in DA with a third-party paid-in capital increase. [24] In September 2016, the company started capital participation with Stream Media Corporation  [ ja ] (SMC) as per the company history page on SMC's official website. [25]

IRiver then merged with SM Mobile Communications (SM MC) and acquired a 100% stake in SM Life Design Company Japan (SM LDC), a subsidiary of SM Japan, with 30 billion won of the endowment amount. [26] [27] SM LDC was a company dedicated to distributing SM content and goods in Japan. [28]

2020–present: Company restructuring and transition to SMEJ Holdings

On April 13, 2020, SM announced that SM Entertainment Japan had established its subsidiaries SMEJ  [ ja ] and SMEJ Plus  [ ja ] through a physical separation, in which SM Japan transferred all of its operations—except for the fan club business—to SMEJ, which were then transferred to SMEJ Plus. [29] By August 1, SMEJ was absorbed into Stream Media Corporation (SMC) and dissolved, resulting in SMC managing SM artists in Japan. [30] [31] On October 5, 2021, SM announced that its subsidiary SM Entertainment Japan would merge with SM F&B Development Japan, based on Japanese company law, aiming to reduce costs and enhance management efficiency by incorporating management resources. The merger date happened on December 1 with a ratio of 1:0, citing that the merger company owns 100% of the stake in the consolidation organization and does not issue new shares. [32] On June 1, 2025, SMC changed its name to SM Entertainment Japan. Accordingly, SM Entertainment Japan also changed its name to SMEJ Holdings. [33] [34]

Subsidiaries

Former subsidiaries

Artists

Original IP

Japan management only

Notes

  1. 1 2 Nam So-young became the CEO of KeyEast, and Kim Young-min became the CEO of SM Studios due to doubts about the composition of the board of directors filled with people influenced by Lee Soo-man. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". SMEJ Holdings (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Kwon, Hye-sook (May 10, 2000). [문화와 산업이 만날때] 음반기획자 이수만씨 [[When Culture and Industry Meets] Record Producer Lee Soo-man]. Kukmin Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  3. ↑ [공시] 1월 3일 [[Announcement] January 3]. Kukmin Ilbo (in Korean). January 2, 2001. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  4. ↑ Gil, Deok (March 7, 2001). SM엔터테인먼트 '세계 음반.뮤직비디오 시장 공략' [SM Entertainment 'Targeting the World Album.Music Video Markets']. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  5. ↑ Gil, Deok (March 7, 2001). SM엔터테인먼트,일본직진출 [SM Entertainment, Goes Direct to Japan]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  6. ↑ "Overview – Group Companies". SM Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ Lee, Eun-jung (April 1, 2005). 동방신기, 일어 배워 日 파고든다 [TVXQ, Learns Japanese and Digs Into It]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  8. ↑ Yoon, Kyung-chul (September 8, 2005). 남소영 SM저팬 대표, 한국가수의 日진출 '가교'로 [SM Japan CEO Nam So-young, As a 'Bridge' for Korean Singers to Enter Japan]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  9. ↑ Ko, Jin-young (April 20, 2022). 이수만 총괄 그림자 여전한 SM엔터 이사회 [SM Entertainment's Board of Directors Who Still has Lee Soo-man's Shadow]. The Bell (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ Lee, Tae-moon (September 5, 2007). SM의 새 기대주 록가수 제이민 日 데뷔 [SM's New Rising Star J-Min Will Debut]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022– via Naver.
  11. ↑ Kim, Won-gyeom (November 10, 2008). SM표 한류밥상 日서 '모락' [SM's Hallyu Table 'Morak' in Japan]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  12. ↑ Kim, Hyung-woo (November 25, 2010). SM-에이벡스 관계 재공고 확인 '슈주-f(x) 에이전트계약' [Confirmation of Re-announcement of SM-Avex Relationship 'Super Junior-f(x) Agent Contract']. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ Son, Min-young (February 25, 2011). [인터뷰] SM엔터테인먼트 김영민 대표, 한류 지속 키워드는 '콘텐츠 개발' [[Interview] CEO Kim Young-min of SM Entertainment., The Keyword is 'Content Development']. BNT News (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ Lee, Jung-hyuk (January 3, 2013). [엔터비즈]SM, 벤처캐피탈 SMCI 설립. 상반기 500억~1000억 펀드 결성 [[Entertainment Business] SM, Establishes Venture Capital SMCI. 50 Billion to 100 Billion Funds Formed in the First Half of the Year]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ Kim, Eun-koo (January 3, 2013). SM엔터테인먼트, 문화 콘텐츠 투자사 설립 [SM Entertainment, Establishes Cultural Content Investment Company]. Edaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ Kim, Kwang-soo (May 26, 2013). [미래세션 발표자] 김일호 오콘 대표, 김영민 SM엔터테인먼트 대표 [[Future Session Presenter] Kim Il-ho, CEO of Ocon, Kim Youngmin, CEO of SM Entertainment]. Seoul Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022– via Naver.
  17. ↑ Kim, Gun-woo (May 30, 2013). 에스엠, 1Q 영업익 50.7억원..전년比 72.1%↓(상보) [SM, 1Q Operating Profit of KRW 5.07 Billion..72.1% Year-on-year ↓ (Complementary)]. Money Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  18. ↑ Jung, Ji-won (April 30, 2014). 日유니버설-에이벡스, 세월호 참사에 천만엔 기부 "슬픔 공감" [Universal-Avex, Donates 10 Million Yen to Sewol Ferry Disaster "Sad Sympathy"]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  19. ↑ Cho, Eun-byul (June 23, 2014). '세무조사' SM, 102억원 법인세 추가 납부…"탈세 없었다" ['Tax Investigation' SM, Pays 10.2 Billion Won in Additional Corporate Taxes…"There was No Tax Evasion"]. No Cut News (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  20. ↑ Oh, Shin-hye (December 25, 2015). 최고의 한해 보낸 'SM'…中·日 등 해외콘서트 사상 최대 실적 [The Best Year of 'SM'…Record High Performance in Overseas Concerts Such as China and Japan]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  21. ↑ Moon, Jae-yeon (April 22, 2016). "샤이니에 지지 않는다옹!"…고양이 다섯마리 가수로 데뷔 ["We Won't Lose to Shinee!"…Debuting as a Singer with Five Cats]. Herald Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  22. ↑ Choi, Na-young (August 12, 2016). 키이스트XSM, 전략적 파트너 '협약 체결' 발표 [KeyEast X SM Announces Strategic Partner 'Agreement']. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  23. ↑ Lee, Kyung-ho (August 12, 2016). 키이스트-SM, 전략적 업무 제휴 체결..자회사 지분 투자 결정 [KeyEast-SM, Signs Strategic Business Partnership..Determination of Equity Investment in Subsidiaries]. StarNews (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  24. ↑ Kwon, Soo-bin (August 12, 2016). SM·키이스트, 전략적 제휴 및 자회사 지분 투자 체결 [SM·KeyEast, Signs Strategic Partnerships and Equity Investments in Subsidiaries]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Company – History". Stream Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  26. ↑ Choi, Doo-sun (July 18, 2017). SKT-SM 교차거래, 순투자금액 대비 SM이 효과적-이베스트투자증권 [SKT-SM Cross-Trading, SM Effective Compared to Net Investment Amount-eBEST Investment Securities]. EToday (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  27. ↑ Ko, Kyung-seok (February 19, 2018). [컴퍼니 인사이드] ICT와 음악 콘텐츠 결합한 아이리버, 새도약 노린다 [[Company Inside] IRiver, Which Combines ICT and Music Contents, Is Aiming for a New Leap Forward]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  28. ↑ Kim, So-yeon (July 18, 2017). SKT 광고·SM 콘텐츠 교차 거래…"SM이 더 효과적" [SKT Advertising·SM Content Crossing Transaction…"SM is More Effective"]. BizEnter (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  29. ↑ Im, Jae-hoo (April 13, 2020). SM엔터테인먼트 일본에 자회사 2곳 설립, "전문성과 책임경영 강화" [SM Entertainment Established 2 Subsidiaries in Japan, "Strengthening Expertise and Responsible Management"]. Business Post (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  30. ↑ Hwang, Hye-jin (June 1, 2020). キーイーストの日本子会社SMC、SMの孫会社SMEJを吸収合併へ…事業領域の拡大に期待 [KeyEast's Japanese Subsidiary SMC to Absorb SM's Subsidiaries SMEJ...Expectations for Expansion of Business Area]. Kstyle (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2026– via Newsen.
  31. ↑ ＳＭエンタ日本グループ会社　ネイバーから２７億円超の投資誘致 [SM Entertainment Japan Group Company Attracts Over 2.7 Billion Yen Investment from Naver]. Yonhap News Agency Japan (in Japanese). November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  32. ↑ Kim, Ye-seul (October 5, 2021). [공시] 에스엠, SM엔터 일본법인과 SM F&B 일본법인 합병 결정 [[Official] SM, Decision to Merge SM Entertainment's Japanese Subsidiary with SM F&B's Japanese Subsidiary]. EToday (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  33. ↑ ストリームメディアコーポレーション、「SM ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN」に商号を変更 [Stream Media Corporation changed its trade name to SM ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN]. Musicman (in Japanese). February 7, 2025. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  34. ↑ "SM ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN". Shared Research. Archived from the original on January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
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