This research highlights the differences between Japanese pop music from American pop music and examines Japan through the lens of their most popular music genres in the context of globalization. This in-person research conducted in Japan analyzes the impact of The United States and Japan’s relationship on the music industry.

Examining the growth of J-Pop and J-Rock on a global scale highlights the exchange of musical influences between America and Japan since the rise of J-Pop in the 1960s. Included in this research is also a comparison between the fan culture of Japanese pop music fans and non-Japanese pop music fans. J-Pop’s uniqueness can be attributed to the Japanese music industry’s emphasis on appealing to a domestic audience instead of reaching out overseas.

The central question of this research are how Japanese and American fandoms differ, what these differences reveal about cultural exchange, and how Japan’s relationship with the U.S. has affected this exchange. Fan communities and data from album and concert sales of J-Pop and J-Rock artists were analyzed in order to evaluate the reception of these genres in domestic and foreign markets. This research considered the context of the historical relationship between Japan and the United States before and during the development of these genres.

This study provides new insight into Japan’s global cultural identity by showcasing globalization in Japan through the lens of the Japanese music industry. Japan’s history with the U.S. sheds a new perspective on the pop culture breakout of Japanese media and the growing collaborative relationship with the United States. From using weapons of war to culturally influencing one another, this research lends insight to the changing relationship between these two countries.