JPop-161 : Generation Z Suggests the Future of J-Pop

Although we’re still in the 2020s, I’ve been thinking about how J-Pop might change in the next five years.
It’s been over 25 years since the term “J-pop” was coined. Lately, when I put together a playlist, it feels natural to mix in tracks by Billie Eilish and Bruno Mars alongside J-pop artists.

Here’s a playlist I put together around 2021. At the time, I began to sense that J-POP was growing more similar to Western music, while also evolving in its own distinct direction.

Notable Quotes from America’s Generation Z

Generation Z is the generation born from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. This concept originated in the United States and has also become established in Japan.

Today, in 2025, Generation Z forms the core of J-Pop’s young listeners and artists — and they are the ones who will shape its future. Just the other day, I had the chance to hear from members of Gen Z who may offer valuable insight into the direction J-Pop is heading.

Journalist and Generation Z expert Shelley Megumi hosts her own show, NY Future Lab, on the Tokyo FM radio station InterFM. The May 21, 2025 broadcast of this program featured a part of the “Japan-U.S. Culture Debate,” in which an American who knows more about Japan than the Japanese and a Japanese high school student faced off. Of course, both participants are from Generation Z.

In that discussion, members of Generation Z in the U.S. pointed out that J-Pop lacks the polished marketing strategies needed to sell songs on a global scale. However, they also highlighted the genre’s diversity, reflected in the individuality and unique charm of its artists.

Reference : radiko news “NY Future Lab” (2025/05/27)

Is J-Pop the Galápagos Islands?

Music industry experts point out that one reason J-pop hasn’t marketed itself globally is because the domestic market alone is enough to make the business viable.

From a marketing perspective, I also feel that the factors driving success differ significantly between the global and Japanese domestic markets. It may make J-Pop seem like a Galápagos Island — isolated from the global mainstream — but I believe that’s perfectly okay.

For artists, global commercial success translates into more listeners—and likely, there’s no J-pop artist who wouldn’t welcome that opportunity.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter to me whether the artists I like are popular or not. What matters is diversity — I enjoy experiencing each artist’s worldview and personality through their music. That said, it would be wonderful to see more J-Pop artists gain global recognition organically, without relying on international marketing strategies.

For Apple Music User : JPop-161 : Generation Z Suggests the Future of J-Pop