On January 20th, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended a New Year industry gathering hosted by CEIPA, the organising body behind MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ), publicly expressing support for the awards and the wider push to grow Japanese music overseas.
Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, the event brought together five major music industry organisations spanning recording, management, production, publishing and live promotion.
In her congratulatory address, Takaichi said she watched MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2025 and called the inaugural ceremony “a great success” as a Japan-originated programme selected by a broad range of music professionals in Japan and abroad. With MAJ 2026 scheduled for June, she said she was “very much looking forward to it”.
Takaichi also linked MAJ to government policy, reiterating that her administration has positioned “content”, including music, as a strategic field within Japan’s growth strategy. She referenced a supplementary budget of more than 55 billion yen and pledged multi-year support with the goal of achieving 20 trillion yen in overseas revenue for Japan’s content industry, alongside ongoing discussions toward introducing neighbouring rights for sound recordings and performer-related rights.
“I am firmly convinced that Japan’s outstanding music can be enjoyed by audiences around the world and can compete successfully in the global market. With this belief, the Takaichi administration has positioned “content”, including music, as one of the key strategic fields in Japan’s growth strategy, working together with artists and creators to pursue global market expansion.”
Watch Sanae Takaichi’s address at CEIPA’s New Year gathering, discussing MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN and overseas expansion (English subtitles available)
RELATED: Takaichi pledges multi-year government support for Japanese music overseas
The same themes appeared in a post on Takaichi’s official X account, where she praised the five organisations for working closely together and wrote that Japanese music has “the power to connect people all over the world”, adding that it would be “a waste not to promote this to the world”.
The gathering also included messages from global industry figures including CAA’s Rob Light, YouTube’s Lyor Cohen, Sony Music’s Rob Stringer, Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström, UTA’s David Zedeck, Universal Music Group’s Sir Lucian Grainge and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl, all welcoming MAJ’s second year and its international ambitions.
MAJ 2026 is set to take place on Saturday June 13th at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, with an event week running from June 5th to 13th across additional locations. Both the Premiere Ceremony and the Grand Ceremony will stream worldwide on YouTube in most regions, with additional domestic television broadcasts in Japan.
Further details are available via the official MAJ website: https://www.musicawardsjapan.com/en
