MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026, Japan’s biggest international music awards show, has unveiled its nominees across 63 categories ahead of the June 13 ceremony.
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ) is built around the concept of “Connecting with the world, illuminating the future of music.” Now in its second year, this year’s ceremony spans 77 categories across genres and national borders. On March 19, a total of approximately 2,000 entries were revealed.
The newly announced list covers nominees across 63 categories, selected through a preliminary vote by 5,000 music industry professionals from Japan and around the world. In the six major categories — Song of the Year (100 songs), Artist of the Year (100 artists), Album of the Year (100 albums), New Artist of the Year (50 artists), Best Global Hit from Japan (100 songs), and Best Song Asia (21 songs) — five nominees were selected from each category’s entry pool.
Among those featured are HANA (“Blue Jeans”), Kenshi Yonezu (“IRIS OUT” “JANE DOE”), Sakanaction (“Kaiju”), Aina the End (“Kakumei Douchu – On The Way”), M!LK (“Suki Sugite Metsu!”), Fujii Kaze (‘Prema’), Mrs. GREEN APPLE (“10”), CANDY TUNE, and more — artists and works that have made their mark on the music scene both in Japan and internationally. Nominations also span a wide range of other categories, including Best Dance & Vocal Song (Group/Solo), Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song, Best Digital Culture Artist, and Best of Listeners’ Choice powered by Spotify, the last of which was determined by public vote. The full list of nominated works is available on the official MAJ website.
At the nomination announcement event held in Tokyo on April 30, this year’s MAJ Ambassadors, Kento Nakajima and Mei Hata, took to the stage. Reflecting on the nominations, Nakajima said, “I’m keeping a close eye on the Best J-POP Song Award — it’s stacked with classic hits. And since I’m a big fan of the anime ‘Chainsaw Man,’ I’m really happy to see ‘IRIS OUT’ and ‘JANE DOE’ are included.” Hata added, “The Best K-POP Song Award features tracks I listen to all the time, so I’m really looking forward to seeing which one will be chosen as the winner.”
Both ambassadors also spoke to the broader appeal of Japanese music on the world stage. “I think the strength of Japanese music lies in its melodies,” Nakajima said. “I hope that through MAJ, the charm of these distinctly Japanese songs can reach audiences overseas.” Hata echoed the sentiment: “I’d love for the beauty of the Japanese language — its lyrics, its wordplay — to reach people around the world too.”
Final voting to determine the winners will be conducted by music industry professionals from April 30 through May 20. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on June 13 at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO and SGC Hall Ariake. The Grand Ceremony, covering the major categories, will be broadcast live on NHK; the red carpet event will air on NHK BS; and the Premiere Ceremony, covering all other categories, will be broadcast on TOKYO MX.
Both the Premiere Ceremony and Grand Ceremony will also be streamed worldwide on YouTube (excluding certain regions), as well as live on Lemino, ABEMA, and radiko.
Nominated works in the six major categories (listed in numerical, alphabetical, and kana order) below. Visit MusicAwardsJapan.com for more.
Song of the Year
HANA “Blue Jeans”
Kenshi Yonezu “IRIS OUT”
Sakanaction “Kaiju”
Aina the End “Kakumei Douchu – On The Way”
M!LK “Suki Sugite Metsu!”
Artist of the Year
Fujii Kaze
HANA
Mrs. GREEN APPLE
Sakanaction
Kenshi Yonezu
New Artist of the Year
CANDY TUNE
HANA
luv
STARGLOW
Brandy Senki
Album of the Year
Mrs. GREEN APPLE, “10”
Various Artists, “Dear Jubilee -RADWIMPS TRIBUTE-”
Gen Hoshino, “Gen”
Fujii Kaze, “Prema”
Southern All Stars, “THANK YOU SO MUCH”
Best Global Hit from Japan
XG “HYPNOTIZE”
Kenshi Yonezu “IRIS OUT”
Kenshi Yonezu, Hikaru Utada “JANE DOE”
LiSA “ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids)”
Ado “Ussewa”
Best Song Asia
Silet Open Up “Tabola Bale” (Indonesia)
Cup of Joe “Multo” (Philippines)
PLAVE “Dash” (South Korea)
WOODZ “Drowning” (South Korea)
HUNTR/X “Golden” (South Korea)
【MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026】
Saturday, June 13, 2026, Tokyo: TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO & SGC Hall Ariake
*Awards Week: Friday, June 5, 2026 – Saturday, June 13, 2026
