According to previous reports, MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN is a new award jointly established by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the Japan Music Enterprises Association, the Japan Music Producers Federation, the Japan Music Publishing Association, and five major organizations in the Japanese music industry. Recreation Promoters Conference. Details of the more than 60 categories to be honored by the New Music Awards, the voting methods, and the selection and voting methods of more than 5,000 voting members have been announced.
The first event is scheduled to be held on May 21 and 22, 2025, at the ROHM Theater in Kyoto. Day 2 will be broadcast live on domestic terrestrial television channels and delayed on YouTube for global viewers. Nominees will receive awards in more than 60 categories, including six categories including Song of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The detailed information of 23 groups in the song category, 7 groups in the international song category, 5 groups in the album category, 12 groups in the artist category, and 3 groups in the “alliance category” has been announced.
Song categories will celebrate a wide variety of music genres and cultures, with genre divisions honoring J-pop, rock, hip-hop, idol culture, anime, and more, as well as special divisions for revival (revival hits), vocaloid culture, and music videos, among others. In addition, music listeners will be invited to vote for two awards via Spotify. In the album category, led by Album of the Year, jazz, classical music, film music/original soundtrack albums, video game soundtracks and other genre projects that add color to the music culture awards will be recognized. In the artist category, there will also be an award called “MAJ Timeless Echo” for artists who have been active in the Japanese music scene for a long time and contributed to its enrichment.
“We are extremely honored that our data is used as one of the core datasets for songs participating in MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN,” said Seiji Isozaki, Billboard Japan Charts Director. “We will continue to improve the accuracy of our data so that we can communicate how people enjoy music, as well as the enjoyment of music itself.”
The statistical period is from Monday, February 5, 2024 to Sunday, January 26, 2025, excluding some categories.
Six categories:
song of the year: Celebrates songs considered musically creative and artistic.
Selection method: Weekly points for the top 100 tracks on Japan’s Billboard Hot 100 are combined across 6 indicators (radio plays, CD sales, downloads, streaming, video views and karaoke) to create an original MAJ-specific chart song charts, as well as top user-generated song charts. Two months will be considered a period, and the songs that chart during each period will be nominated for Song of the Year. Both domestic and international songs are eligible for this category.
album of the year: Celebrates albums considered musically creative and artistic.
Selection method: Combining CD and download data such as Japan’s Billboard hot album rankings with GfK’s streaming data to create MAJ’s unique original rankings. Two months will be considered a period, and the albums that chart during each period will be nominated for Album of the Year. Both domestic and international albums are eligible for this category.
artist of the year: Honoring artists recognized for their musical creativity and artistic talent.
Selection method: Artist of the Year will be selected from the artists whose songs or albums have been nominated for Song of the Year or Album of the Year. Both national and international artists are eligible for this category.
New Artist of the Year: Celebrating new artists recognized for their musical creativity and artistry.
Selection method: The New Artist of the Year Award will be selected from artists whose songs are drawn from the Song of the Year nominees in accordance with Billboard Japan’s Heatseekers song rules.
1. Excludes artists who have entered the top 20 of the Japanese Hot 100 or the top 10 of the Japanese Hot Albums Chart within the past six months (26 weeks).
2. Excludes artists who have had a Top 20 song on Heatseekers for at least four of the last six months (26 weeks).
Groups and projects that include artists excluded above are also excluded. However, artists performing under completely different names are not excluded.
Global hits from Japan: Celebrating domestic songs that are popular around the world.
Judging Method: The Japan Global Hot Song Awards will select the top 5 songs from a global ranking created for Japanese songs extracted from global viewing data (streaming, downloads, music videos) compiled by Luminate, excluding Japanese views. .
Only the highest-ranking songs will be considered for performances with multiple songs on the list. Five performers will have five songs nominated for the award.
Statistics period: Friday, February 2, 2024 to Thursday, January 30, 2025
Best Asian Song: Celebrating Asian songs that are popular in Asia.
Selection method: The Asia’s Best Song Award will be decided from the top 3 songs in the 2024 year-end rankings in Asian countries/regions except Japan.
The first MAJ will consider songs from the following East and Southeast Asian countries and regions: South Korea, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
General voting categories: Select the best work from 30 nominated works through Spotify’s voting function.
Listener Choice Award: Best Global Song of the Year Powered by Spotify: This award is awarded to the “Best Global Song” voted by Spotify users in Japan and abroad from domestic songs that are popular around the world.
Listener Choice: The Year’s Best Songs Powered by Spotify: The best song award voted for by Spotify users in Japan and abroad.
Japan Music Awards Kyoto 2025
Ceremony Dates: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 and Thursday, May 22, 2025
MAJ Week: Saturday, May 17 to Friday, May 23, 2025
Location: Roma Theater Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Scheduled to be broadcast live on domestic terrestrial TV and global live broadcast on YouTube (except for some areas)
*Tickets to attend the ceremony will not be available to the public. Details of the award ceremony and related activities will be announced later.
