Timeline of Japanese music

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

## 1880s

[edit]

* 1888 - Kimigayo adopted as national anthem

## 1890s

[edit]

* 1897 - Gunkan kōshinkyoku

## 1900s

[edit]

* 1901 - Kōjō no Tsuki

## 1910s

[edit]

* 1910 - Nipponophone founded
* 1911 - Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra founded[1]
* 1912 (Meiji 45 / Taishō 1) - 1st Japanese symphony: Kachidoki to Heiwa [ja] by Kōsaku Yamada[2]
* 1914 - Katyusha's Song
* 1915 - Gondola no Uta

## 1920s

[edit]

* 1921 - Inno Meiji [ja] by Kōsaku Yamada;[3] Sendō Kouta; Nanatsu no Ko
* 1923 \- Omocha No March [ja][4][5]
* 1927 - Akatombo

## 1930s

[edit]

* 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][6][7]
* 1934 - Nagauta Symphony

## 1940s

[edit]

* 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;[8] Shizuko Kasagi released Tokyo Boogie Woogie [ja][9][10]

## 1950s

[edit]

* 1951 - 1st Kōhaku Uta Gassen; New Symphony Orchestra became NHK Symphony Orchestra; Toho Symphony Orchestra became Tokyo Symphony Orchestra[11]
* 1952 - 1st Otaka prize[11] on 26 December[12]
* 1953 - Omoide No Warutsu by Izumi Yukimura[13]
* 1954 - Godzilla includes music by Akira Ifukube
* 1956 - Japan Philharmonic Orchestra founded[14]
* 1959 - 1st Japan Record Awards[15]

## 1960s

[edit]

* 1960 - Sega 1000 jukebox;[16][17] 5,616 new record releases;[18] Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra founded[14]
* 1961 - 1st broadcast of Minna no Uta; Sapporo Symphony Orchestra founded;[14] 50 record labels from 9 companies;[19] Utamatic chart number one singles include Tokyo Dodonpa Musume [ja] by Mari Watanabe [ja][20]
* 1962 - 1st broadcast of Shichiji ni aimashō; Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra founded[14]
* 1963 - Sukiyaki reaches number 1 in the USA; estimated 5,000 jukeboxes[21]
* 1964 - 1st broadcast of Music Fair; 3rd largest record market[22]
* 1965 - Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra founded[14]
* 1966 - Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra founded;[23] The Wild Ones [ja] released Omoide No Nagisa [ja][24]
* 1967 \- Oricon founded; $96 million records production;[25] Japanese musicians sell more records than foreigners;[26] Hibari Misora released Makkana Taiyō[27]
* 1968 - 1st broadcast of Yoru no Hit Studio; CBS/Sony founded; Ox [ja] released Girl Friend [ja] and Swan No Namida [ja];[28] The Fingers [ja] released "Ai No Densetsu" (Japanese: 愛の伝説);[29] Purple Shadows [ja] released Chiisana Snack [ja];[30] The Spiders released Anotoki Kimi Wa Wakakatta [ja][31] and "Shinju No Namida" (Japanese: 真珠の涙);[32] 1st soul music festival[33]
* 1969 - 1st Yamaha Popular Song Contest; 2nd largest record market;[34] 1st broadcast of NTV Kōhaku Uta No Best Ten [ja][35]

## 1970s

[edit]

* 1970 - 1st World Popular Song Festival; 1st Japan Music Awards; 1st publication of Music Labo; Nippon Music Foundation established; approx start of jukebox boom;[36] Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra founded;[23] debut of Miki Hirayama [ja][37]
* 1971 - Debut of Saori Minami, Mari Amachi and Rumiko Koyanagi;[38] Gagaku revival reported[39]
* 1972 - 1st Tokyo Music Festival; 1st broadcast of Best 30 Kayōkyoku; Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra founded;[23] New Japan Philharmonic founded;[40] Naomi Chiaki released Kassai [ja][41]
* 1973 - "Shura No Hana" (Japanese: 修羅の花) by Meiko Kaji[42]
* 1974 - 1st FNS Music Festival; debut of Chieko Matsumoto[43]
* 1975 - 44,000 jukeboxes[44]
* 1978 - 1st broadcast of The Best Ten[45]
* 1979 \- Number one singles include Chameleon Army, Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) and Ihojin.

## 1980s

[edit]

* 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; Koji Kondo composed the music for The Legend of Zelda[46][47][48]
* 1989 (Shōwa 64 / Heisei 1) - Debut of CoCo[49]

## 1990s

[edit]

* 1990 - Debut of Rumi Shishido[50]
* 1991 - Debut of Mi-Ke[51]
* 1993 - 1st broadcast of Count Down TV; The Boom released Shima Uta (Original Version)[52]
* 1994 - 1st broadcast of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
* 1996 - 1st broadcast of Utaban; debut of dos [ja][53]
* 1998 - 1st broadcast of Channel A

## 2000s

[edit]

* 2004 - 1st broadcast of Bokura no Ongaku; Hitomi o Tojite was annual number 1 single;[54][55] Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1 was annual number 1 album[56]
* 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

[edit]

* 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 in Japanese music

## 2020s

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

* 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 Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 277.
2. ^ Handbook of Japanese Music in the Modern Era, p 256.
3. ^ Music on the Move, p 123
4. ^ 太田信一郎. 東京のわらべうた. 東京新聞出版局. 1983. p 60.
5. ^ Kenichiro Yokota. 教科書から消えた唱歌・童謡. Fusosha. 2002. p 41.
6. ^ The Movie Times. No 432: 11 April 1932. p 77. Google
7. ^ JASRAC No. 000-4690-6
8. ^ The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 279.
9. ^ Nagahara. Tokyo Boogie-Woogie: Japan's Pop Era and Its Discontents. 2017. p 1.
10. ^ Rediscovering Japan's Age of Boogie: How Kasagi Shizuko and Hattori Ryōichi Transformed Entertainment. Nippon.com. 18 October 2023.
11. ^ a b Wade. Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. p 218.
12. ^ 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.
13. ^ (1999) 朝日新聞縮刷版 (Asahi Shimbun shukusatsuban). Number 938.
14. ^ a b c d e Wade. Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. p 219.
15. ^ 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.
16. ^ Jérémie Pelletier-Gagnon. Space and Play in Japanese Videogame Arcades. 2024. p 31.
17. ^ History. Sega.
18. ^ "Revival for Wonderland Disks at All-Time High". Billboard. 27 February 1961. p 14.
19. ^ Cash Box. 15 April 1961. p 53.
20. ^ Billboard. 24 April 1961. p 21.
21. ^ Billboard. 6 July 1963. p 41.
22. ^ Billboard. 8 August 1964, p 8.
23. ^ a b c The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. 2003. p 281
24. ^ 2度のトラブルを乗り越えて世に出た名曲「想い出の渚」誕生秘話. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 5 November 2018.
25. ^ Japan Report. Vol 14. No 2: 31 January 1968. p 8.
26. ^ The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. p 355.
27. ^ 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.
28. ^ 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.
29. ^ 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.
30. ^ 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.
31. ^ 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.
32. ^ 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.
33. ^ 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.
34. ^ Billboard. 19 December 1970, p J-16.
35. ^ 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.
36. ^ Karaoke Around the World: Global Technology, Local Singing. p 183.
37. ^ 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.
38. ^ 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.
39. ^ Billboard. 11 September 1971. p 57.
40. ^ Billboard. 5 May 1973. p 53.
41. ^ 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.
42. ^ 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.
43. ^ 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.
44. ^ Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. 2003. vol 1. p 514.
45. ^ 「1978」エンタメプレイバック. ZAKZAK. 23 June 2023.
46. ^ Peter Moormann. Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance. 2012. pp 18 & 19.
47. ^ Fifty Key Video Games. 2023. p 157.
48. ^ Hopkins. Video Game Audio: A History, 1972-2020. 2022. pp 76 & 77.
49. ^ 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.
50. ^ 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.
51. ^ 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.
52. ^ 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.
53. ^ Mark Schilling. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. 1997. Weatherhill. 4th printing. 2004. p 103.
54. ^ 年間ランキング. Oricon Style.
55. ^ 2004年度. 年間 シングルランキング. Oricon Style.
56. ^ 2004年度. 年間 CDアルバムランキング. Oricon Style.

Index of articles associated with the same name

This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names).
If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

* v
* t
* e

Music of Japan

"Kimigayo" (National anthem)

Traditional|

Instruments

| Genres and styles|

*     * Bugaku
* Bushi
* Dainichido Bugaku
* Danmono
* Gagaku
* Gigaku
* Jōruri
* Kouta
* Min'yō
* Nagauta
* Rōkyoku
* Saimon Ondo [ja]
* Komori-uta (lullaby)
* Warabe Uta [ja]
* Kazoe Uta [ja]
* Ekaki Uta [ja]
* Temari Uta [ja]

|

Post Meiji Restoration

(1868–present)|

* Commercial song [ja]
* Gakusēka (student song) [ja]
* Kōka (school song) [ja]
* Ryōka (dormitory song) [ja]
* Daigaku-Ōenka (cheering song of university) [ja]
* Enzetsuka/Enka
* Gunka (military song)
* Jazz
* Kayōkyoku
* Senji-kayō [ja]
* Gunkoku-kayō [ja]
* Radio calisthenics song
* Ryūkōka
* Shichōsonka (municipality song) [ja]
* Shōka [ja]
* Manshū-Shōka [ja]
* Shin-min'yō [ja]

Post-War

(1945–present)|

| 1945–present|

* Kayōkyoku
* Mood-kayō [ja]
* Idol-kayō [ja]
* Group Sounds
* Image song
* J-pop
* Rock

|

1970–present|

* Anime song
* Chiptune
* City pop
* Denpa song
* Disco [ja]
* Electro
* Electropop
* Eurobeat
* Disco [ja]
* Hardcore punk
* Hip hop
* Metal
* Noise
* Noise rock
* Nu-music [ja]
* Ōenka (cheering song)
* Reggae
* Synth-pop
* Ska
* Visual kei
* Italo Disco
* Italo House
* Juliana’s techno

1990–present|

* Bitpop
* Grime
* Being-kei [ja]
* J-core
* Japanese net label scene
* Kawaii metal
* Komuro-kei [ja]
* Onkyokei
* Shibuya-kei
* Akishibu-kei
* Utaite
* Visual kei
* Eroguro kei
* Nagoya kei
* Vocaloid music

Ethnic and regional|

* Ainu music
* Rekuhkara
* Southern Islands

Charts|

| Oricon|

* Singles Chart
* Combined Singles Chart
* Albums Chart
* Combined Albums Chart
* Karaoke Chart

|

Billboard Japan|

* Hot 100
* Hot Albums

Other|

* RIAJ Digital Track Chart (discontinued)

Achievements|

* List of best-selling music artists in Japan
* List of best-selling Western artists in Japan
* List of best-selling albums in Japan
* List of best-selling singles in Japan

Record companies|

| "Big 10"

(as of 2025[update])|

* Avex Group
* Sony Music Entertainment Japan
* Universal Music Japan
* King Record Co.
* J Storm
* Victor Entertainment
* Being Inc.
* Warner Music Group
* Pony Canyon
* Teichiku Entertainment

|

Others|

* Major
* Independent

Musicians|

* List of musical artists from Japan
* List of Japanese musical groups
* List of J-pop artists
* List of Japanese composers
* List of Japanese hip hop musicians
* List of Japanese singers

Timeline and years|

* 1967
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Online distributors|

* iTunes Store
* Apple Music
* Google Play Music
* Amazon Music
* Spotify
* KKBox (the successor of LISMO Unlimited)
* RecoChoku [ja]
* Music.jp [ja]
* Mora
* Dwango.jp
* E-Onkyo music
* Oricon Music Store
* Line Music
* MySound [ja]
* OTOTOY [ja]
* AWA [ja]

Other topics|

* Awards
* Shinto music

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