Japan Contemplates the Establishment of ‘Asian Version of the Grammys’ for J-pop to Counterattack K-pop?

The Japanese Ministry of Culture is considering the establishment of a music award to recognize the achievements of artists in the Asian region

Culture Minister Tokura Shunichi revealed in an interview on September 27th that Japan is planning to create an Asian version of the prestigious ‘Grammy Awards,’ the biggest music award in the United States.

The award ceremony is expected to take place in Kyoto, where the Ministry of Culture will relocate in March next year. This is seen as an opportunity to provide a stepping stone for Japanese artists to expand their presence globally.

Minister Tokura added that one of the objectives of establishing this music award is to promote music and video exports as an industry.

Currently, the Asian music industry is dominated by Korean artists such as BTS and BLACKPINK, as they have achieved global success.

Minister Tokura, who is also a composer, pointed out, “Japan has a relatively large domestic market, so it tends to focus only on the domestic market. The energy to go overseas is stronger in Korea.”

He expressed his desire to host a noteworthy music award in Kyoto to promote J-pop to the world