“Japan rewards those who approach it with a long-term, localised, and collaborative strategy”
Following a year of record-breaking attendance and revenue, the Japanese live music market – the world’s second largest – enters 2026 at a critical inflection point.
As previously reported in IQ, the industry has been navigating the complex “2024 problem” – a situation marked by a perfect storm of the temporary closure of several major venues for renovation and a sharp increase in production and logistical costs.
These rising expenses, driven by new labour regulations and global inflation, have made the balance between production…
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Nobuhiro Nagai of A.C.P.C., the country's promoter association, unpacks the turning tides of the Japanese live music market
Comment 3 March 2026