Timeline of Japanese music

This page is a timeline of Japanese music and also indexes the individual year in Japanese music pages.

1870s

• 1878 - Demonstration of phonograph by James Alfred Ewing at Tokyo Imperial University on 16 November ^[1]
• 1879 - Demonstration of phonograph by James Alfred Ewing at Tokyo Chamber of Commerce on 28 March ^{[1] [2]}

1880s

• 1888 - Kimigayo adopted as national anthem

1890s

• 1897 - Gunkan kōshinkyoku

1900s

• 1901 - Kōjō no Tsuki

1910s

• 1910 - Nipponophone founded
• 1911 - Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra founded ^[3]
• 1912 (Meiji 45 / Taishō 1) - 1st Japanese symphony: Kachidoki to Heiwa  [ ja ] by Kōsaku Yamada ^[4]
• 1914 - Katyusha's Song
• 1915 - Gondola no Uta

1920s

• 1921 - Inno Meiji  [ ja ] by Kōsaku Yamada; ^[5] Sendō Kouta; Nanatsu no Ko
• 1923 - Omocha No March  [ ja ] ^{[6] [7]}
• 1927 - Akatombo

1930s

• 1931 - King Records founded
• 1932 - Seki Taneko  [ ja ] releases "Akemi no Uta" (あけみの唄), composed by Masao Koga, with lyrics by Hara Asao  [ ja ] ^{[8] [9]}
• 1934 - Nagauta Symphony
• 1938 - Tabi No Yokaze  [ ja ] by Misao Matsubara  [ ja ] ^[10] (alias "Miss Columbia") ^{[11] [12]}

1940s

• 1942 - Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association founded
• 1946 - 1st Mainichi Film Award for Best Music; 1st broadcast of NHK Nodo Jiman
• 1947 - Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra founded; ^[13] Shizuko Kasagi released Tokyo Boogie Woogie  [ ja ]; ^{[14] [15]} lack of suitable locations for jukeboxes ^[16]

1950s

• 1951 - 1st Kōhaku Uta Gassen; New Symphony Orchestra became NHK Symphony Orchestra; Toho Symphony Orchestra became Tokyo Symphony Orchestra ^[17]
• 1952 - 1st Otaka prize ^[17] on 26 December ^[18]
• 1953 - Omoide No Warutsu by Izumi Yukimura ^[19]
• 1954 - Godzilla includes music by Akira Ifukube
• 1955 - Film musicals include Janken Musume ^[20]
• 1956 - Japan Philharmonic Orchestra founded ^[21]
• 1958 - 20,000 people attended record festival; ^[22] 1st Osaka International Festival of Music, Drama and Arts ^{[23] [24]}
• 1959 - 1st Japan Record Awards ^[25]

1960s

• 1960 - Sega 1000 jukebox; ^{[26] [27]} 5,616 new record releases; ^[28] Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra founded ^[21]
• 1961 - 1st broadcast of Minna no Uta; Sapporo Symphony Orchestra founded; ^[21] 50 record labels from 9 companies; ^[29] Utamatic chart number one singles include Tokyo Dodonpa Musume  [ ja ] by Mari Watanabe  [ ja ] ^[30]
• 1962 - 1st broadcast of Shichiji ni aimashō; Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra founded ^[21]
• 1963 - Sukiyaki reaches number 1 in the USA; estimated 5,000 jukeboxes ^[31]
• 1964 - 1st broadcast of Music Fair; ^[32] 3rd largest record market ^[33]
• 1965 - Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra founded; ^[21] electric boom (Japanese: エレキブーム, ereki būmu) ^{[34] [35] [36]}
• 1966 - Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra founded ^[37]
• 1967 - Oricon founded; $96 million records production; ^[38] Japanese musicians sell more records than foreigners; ^[39] Hibari Misora released Makkana Taiyō ^[40]
• 1968 - 1st broadcast of Yoru no Hit Studio; CBS/Sony founded; Ox  [ ja ] released Girl Friend  [ ja ] and Swan No Namida  [ ja ]; ^[41] The Fingers  [ ja ] released "Ai No Densetsu" (Japanese: 愛の伝説); ^[42] Purple Shadows  [ ja ] released Chiisana Snack  [ ja ]; ^[43] The Spiders released Anotoki Kimi Wa Wakakatta  [ ja ] ^[44] and "Shinju No Namida" (Japanese: 真珠の涙); ^[45] 1st soul music festival ^[46]
• 1969 - 1st Yamaha Popular Song Contest; 2nd largest record market; ^[47] 1st broadcast of NTV Kōhaku Uta No Best Ten  [ ja ]; ^[48] Kaze  [ ja ] by Hashida Norihiko and Schuberts  [ ja ] ^{[49] [50]}

1970s

• 1970 - 1st World Popular Song Festival; 1st Japan Music Awards; 1st publication of Music Labo; Nippon Music Foundation established; approx start of jukebox boom; ^[51] 11,000 jukeboxes; ^[52] Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra founded; ^[37] debut of Miki Hirayama  [ ja ] ^[53]
• 1971 - Debut of Saori Minami, Mari Amachi and Rumiko Koyanagi; ^[54] Gagaku revival reported ^[55]
• 1972 - 1st Tokyo Music Festival; 1st broadcast of Best 30 Kayōkyoku; Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra founded; ^[37] New Japan Philharmonic founded; ^[56] Naomi Chiaki released Kassai  [ ja ] ^[57]
• 1973 - "Shura No Hana" (Japanese: 修羅の花) by Meiko Kaji; ^[58] Candies released 1st single ^[59]
• 1974 - 1st FNS Music Festival; debut of Chieko Matsumoto ^[60]
• 1975 - 44,000 jukeboxes ^[61]
• 1978 - 1st broadcast of The Best Ten; ^[62] Candies Final Carnival concert ^{[63] [64]}
• 1979 - Number one singles include Chameleon Army, Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) and Ihojin.

1980s

• 1980 - Number one singles include Ihojin and I'm in the Mood for Dancing
• 1981 - A Long Vacation
• 1982 - Number one singles include Matsu wa and Second Love
• 1983 - Number one singles include Second Love, ½ no Shinwa, Flashdance... What a Feeling, Kinku and Cat's Eye
• 1984 - Number one singles include Southern Wind, Amaoto wa Chopin no Shirabe, Jukkai (1984) and Kazari ja Nai no yo Namida wa
• 1985 - Number one singles include Meu amor é..., Akaitori Nigeta and Sand Beige (Sabaku e)
• 1986 - 1st broadcast of Music Station; number one singles include Desire (Jōnetsu), Gypsy Queen, Fin, Jā ne, Otto Chikan!, Osaki ni Shitsurei, Koi wa Question and Aozora no Kakera
• 1989 (Shōwa 64 / Heisei 1) - Debut of CoCo ^[65]

1990s

• 1990 - Debut of Rumi Shishido; ^[66] Sherry (psuedonym of Izumi Kato  [ ja ]) released OVA song "Kaze No Fantasia" (Japanese: 風のファンタジア) ^{[67] [68] [69]}
• 1991 - Debut of Mi-Ke ^[70]
• 1992 - Moonlight Densetsu; ^[71] debut of Manish ^[72]
• 1993 - 1st broadcast of Count Down TV; The Boom released Shima Uta (Original Version) ^[73]
• 1994 - 1st broadcast of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
• 1996 - 1st broadcast of Utaban; debut of dos ^[74]
• 1998 - 1st broadcast of Channel A

2000s

• 2004 - 1st broadcast of Bokura no Ongaku; Hitomi o Tojite was annual number 1 single; ^{[75] [76]} Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1 was annual number 1 album ^[77]
• 2005 - 1st broadcast of J-Melo
• 2006 - 1st broadcast of Idoling!!!; 1st broadcast of Rock Fujiyama
• 2007 in Japanese music
• 2008 in Japanese music
• 2009 in Japanese music

2010s

• 2010 in Japanese music
• 2011 in Japanese music
• 2012 in Japanese music
• 2013 in Japanese music
• 2014 in Japanese music
• 2015 in Japanese music
• 2016 in Japanese music
• 2017 in Japanese music
• 2018 in Japanese music
• 2019 (Heisei 31 / Reiwa 1)

2020s

• 2020 in Japanese music
• 2021 in Japanese music
• 2022 in Japanese music
• 2023 in Japanese music
• 2024 in Japanese music
• 2025 in Japanese music

See also

• List of Oricon number-one singles
• List of Oricon number-one albums
• List of best-selling singles in Japan by year

References

• Tokyo Ongaku Gakko. Kinsei Hogaku Nempyo. Rokugatsu-Kan. Volume 1. 1912. Volume 2. 1914. Volume 3. 1927.
• Bonnie C Wade. "Chronology". Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. University of Chicago Press. 2014. pp p 217 to 220.

1. "The Oldest Phonograph in Japan". The Japan Times. 16 November 1958. No 21476. p 3. cols 1 to 3.
2. Kerim Yasar. Electrified Voices: How the Telephone, Phonograph, and Radio Shaped Modern Japan, 1868–1945. 2018. Chapter 3.
3. The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 277.
4. Handbook of Japanese Music in the Modern Era, p 256.
5. Music on the Move, p 123
6. 太田信一郎. 東京のわらべうた. 東京新聞出版局. 1983. p 60.
7. Kenichiro Yokota. 教科書から消えた唱歌・童謡. Fusosha. 2002. p 41.
8. The Movie Times. No 432: 11 April 1932. p 77. Google
9. JASRAC No. 000-4690-6
10. 発見!意外に知らない昭和史: 誰かに話したくなるあの日の出来事194. Tokyoshoten. 2007. p 36.
11. 3 The Japan Times Weekly 422
12. Cf. cover in 1962 charts: Utamatic
13. The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 279.
14. Nagahara. Tokyo Boogie-Woogie: Japan's Pop Era and Its Discontents. 2017. p 1.
15. Rediscovering Japan's Age of Boogie: How Kasagi Shizuko and Hattori Ryōichi Transformed Entertainment. Nippon.com. 18 October 2023.
16. Billboard. 9 August 1947. p 129.
17. Wade. Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. p 218.
18. NHK交響楽団50年史 1926-1977: The NHK Symphony Orchestra: Fifty Years of Its Growth. Nippon Hoso Shuppan Kyokai. Tokyo 1977. p 296.
19. (1999) 朝日新聞縮刷版 (Asahi Shimbun shukusatsuban). Number 938.
20. Gailbraith. The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. 2008. p 115.
21. Wade. Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. p 219.
22. "Disk Festival Draws 20,000". Billboard. 22 December 1958. p 1.
23. Gyo Hani. "Fine Start for Asia's First: Osaka Arts Festival Inaugerated". The Japan Times. 11 April 1958. No 21259. p 1, cols 2 to 4. Continued at p 2, col 4.
24. 1958年度のラインナップ. Asahi Shimbun Foundation.
25. 1959年12月27日、第1回日本レコード大賞が開催。受賞曲は水原弘「黒い花びら」. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 27 December 2017.
26. Jérémie Pelletier-Gagnon. Space and Play in Japanese Videogame Arcades. 2024. p 31.
27. History. Sega.
28. "Revival for Wonderland Disks at All-Time High". Billboard. 27 February 1961. p 14.
29. Cash Box. 15 April 1961. p 53.
30. Billboard. 24 April 1961. p 21.
31. Billboard. 6 July 1963. p 41.
32. About Music Fair. Fuji Television Network.
33. Billboard. 8 August 1964, p 8.
34. Stevens. Japanese Popular Music: Culture, Authenticity and Power. p 43.
35. エレキギターの「エレキ」ブームは一九六五年一月のザ・ベンチ…. Tokyo Shimbun. 22 June 2021.
36. 1964 to 1967: Michael Furmanovsky, "Electrifying the Japanese Teenager across Generations" in Alisa Freedman, Introducing Japanese Popular Culture, 2nd Ed, chapter 15
37. The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 281
38. Japan Report. Vol 14. No 2: 31 January 1968. p 8.
39. The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. p 355.
40. ちょうど50年前･1967/5/25 GSブームから生まれた美空ひばりの大ヒット'真っ赤な太陽'リリース【大人のMusic Calendar】. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 25 May 2017.
41. 1968/5/5 失神パフフォーマンスのオックス/ガール・フレンドリリース【大人のMusic Calendar】. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 5 May 2017.
42. 新生フィンガーズのデビュー曲「愛の伝説」は、ザ・タイガース「廃墟の鳩」のプロトタイプ!?. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 20 June 2019.
43. 大ヒット曲『小さなスナック』 以後全国でスナック増加, News ポストセブン, 23 June 2019. Charts: Billboard, 20 July and 10 August 1968.
44. 1968年3月5日、ザ・スパイダース「あの時君は若かった」リリース～若さを相対化したこの名曲の作詞者は？. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 5 March 2019.
45. ザ・スパイダース「真珠の涙」早すぎた真のJ-POP. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 5 June 2018.
46. 日本初のソウル・フェスティヴァル～モータウン・フェス '68. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 12 February 2019.
47. Billboard. 19 December 1970, p J-16.
48. 1969年の今日、歌番組の源流となる日本テレビ『紅白歌のベストテン』が放送開始. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 6 October 2017.
49. 日本の作曲家: 近現代音楽人名事典. 2008. p 358.
50. Charts: Oricon.
51. Karaoke Around the World: Global Technology, Local Singing. p 183.
52. Billboard. 19 December 1970. p J-28.
53. 47年前の本日、平山三紀が「ビューティフル・ヨコハマ」でデビュー. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 10 November 2017.
54. 1971年の音楽界 フォーク台頭、洋楽ロック浸透、女性アイドル確立. News ポストセブン. 9 February 2021.
55. Billboard. 11 September 1971. p 57.
56. Billboard. 5 May 1973. p 53.
57. 1972年9月10日、音楽史に残る名曲、ちあきなおみ「喝采」がリリース. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 10 September 2018.
58. 梶芽衣子 英名門デッカ・レコードから世界デビュー、「キル・ビル」劇中歌「修羅の花」. Sports Hochi. 29 June 2021.
59. ９月１日は【キャンディーズのデビュー記念日】驚くべきことになんとあれから半世紀！. Re:minder. 1 March 2023.
60. 松本ちえこさん死去 70年代を象徴する記憶に残るアイドルだった. AERA Digital. 6 December 2019.
61. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. 2003. vol 1. p 514.
62. 「1978」エンタメプレイバック. ZAKZAK. 23 June 2023.
63. 〈1978年の今日〉4月4日 : キャンディーズ解散コンサート. (今日は何の日：On This Day in Japan). Nippon.com. 4 April 2025.
64. 1978年4月4日『キャンディーズ ファイナルカーニバル FOR FREEDOM』開催～ キャンディーズが伝説になった日. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 4 April 2019.
65. パラダイスGoGo!! 乙女塾出身 "CoCo" 80年代最後に芽吹いた5人の少女たち. Re:minder. 11 October 2020.
66. 宍戸留美、デビュー曲「コズミック・ランデブー」ほかソニーミュージック時代の全音源が全世界配信. CDJournal. 20 January 2021.
67. 加藤いづみ、足跡を振り返る2枚組自選ベスト. Natalie. 4 April 2014.
68. シングル売上TOP1作品. Oricon News.
69. As to her later career, see Oricon and CDJournal.
70. 1991年(平成3年)2月14日、Mi-Keのデビュー曲「想い出の九十九里浜」がリリース～"カタログ・ソング"と言われる所以とは？. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 14 February 2018.
71. 「セーラームーン」「幽☆遊☆白書」...アニソンの歴史を振り返ろう！1992年,1993年編. USEN encore, from USEN. 14 June 2025.
72. MANISH. CDJournal.
73. 元THE BOOMのボーカリスト、宮沢和史さんが『島唄』の歌詞に秘めた「本当の思い」とは...？. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 11 September 2021.
74. Mark Schilling. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. 1997. Weatherhill. 4th printing. 2004. p 103.
75. 年間ランキング. Oricon Style.
76. 2004年度. 年間 シングルランキング. Oricon Style.
77. 2004年度. 年間 CDアルバムランキング. Oricon Style.