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The popularity of South Korean culture has been growing since the 1990s all around the world. The Korean Wave, which first started with K-dramas and K-Pop, developed into a global phenomenon that was quickly embraced by other Asian countries and is now, with the help of social media, reaching far beyond its continent. But probably one of the biggest current markets for K-Pop has to be Japan.
Short history
Korean entertainment, particularly K-Pop and melodramas, has taken over Japan’s market over the last few years, leaving little to no room for expansion for J-Pop groups. The initial entrance of the Korean Wave into Japan was marked by Winter Sonata in 2002, a drama whose sales surpassed US$3.5 million. The former Japanese prime minister at the time even said that the drama’s male protagonist was more popular than him.
The first to start conquering the music industry were boy bands such as Big Bang, TVXQ, and Shinee. TVXQ, usually referred to as Tohoshinki, entered the Japanese market in 2006, becoming the country’s best-selling foreign music act. Moreover, when Shinee released the Japanese version of their single Replay in 2011, the sales were the highest ever recorded by a South Korean group.
Girl bands quickly followed. Girls’ Generation entered the Japanese music scene in 2011 with the release of their first music album. Their album sold over one million copies and achieved double Platinum. Debuting a year before Girls’ Generation were KARA with their Japanese album Girl’s Talk, which was also certified double platinum. Both bands made it to the ‘Top 5 Best Selling Artists of the Year’ in 2011, ranking at five and four respectively.
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Other Industries
K-Pop is not the only form of entertainment that has moved into the Japanese market with great success. Online casinos are also seeing the country’s gamers as a potentially loyal player base. For example, Bonus.jp writes about how Zodiac Casino is a relative unknown for Japanese players which is using welcome bonuses to attract said players. This shows how businesses see the market as ready to be tapped.
Another entertainment industry on the rise is e-sports. Although Japan has the third-largest gaming market in the world, the concept of competitive video gaming is still relatively new and it hasn’t been as well invested in as it has in other Asian countries, such as China and South Korea. However, seeing the potential e-sports has, there is more funding coming from the Japanese government and from private companies aiming to gain a foothold in the global market.
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K-Pop vs J-Pop
Unlike J-Pop, which hasn’t changed much since it first emerged in the 90s, Korean pop groups have adopted a lot of Western influences, including electro house and R&B. As is the case for Girls’ Generation, their tracks have been shaped by Western producers, which makes their music refreshing, especially for a population that has been listening to the same rhythms for almost 30 years.
As happens in this day and age, the internet also helped K-Pop groups become more famous. Fans of the Korean Wave discovered many bands on Youtube or on other channels like Twitter and then started sharing their music; therefore building on their popularity. Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see how it continues to develop.