Japanese rock, also called J-rock, is a type of rock music from Japan. It was influenced by American and British rock music from the 1960s. Early Japanese rock bands performed a style called group sounds, and their songs were mostly in English. In the early 1970s, the folk rock band Happy End became the first group to sing rock music in the Japanese language. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, punk rock bands like Boøwy and The Blue Hearts, along with hard rock and heavy metal groups such as X Japan and B'z, helped Japanese rock become very popular by reaching a wide audience.
Rock bands like B'z and Mr. Children are among the best-selling music groups in Japan. In the late 1990s, rock festivals such as the Fuji Rock Festival were introduced. These events attracted up to 200,000 people each, making them the largest outdoor music festivals in the country.
History
Rockabilly became popular in Japan during the late 1950s, but officials tried to stop it. Despite this, singers like Kyu Sakamoto helped it reach more people.
In the 1960s, many Japanese rock bands were influenced by Western musicians such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones, as well as other styles like Appalachian folk music, psychedelic rock, and mod. This movement was called Group Sounds (G.S.). John Lennon of the Beatles later became very popular in Japan. By the late 1960s, Group Sounds bands like The Tempters, the Tigers, the Golden Cups, and others had big hits. After Group Sounds, many folk singer-songwriters appeared, inspired by Bob Dylan and American folk music. The Tigers were the most popular Group Sounds band of that time. Later, some members of the Tigers, the Tempters, and the Spiders formed Japan’s first supergroup, Pyg.
In the 1970s, "New Rock" groups like the Power House, the Blues Creation, Murasaki, Condition Green, and Bow Wow released rock albums. After seeing Jimi Hendrix perform in Europe, Yuya Uchida returned to Japan and formed Yuya Uchida & the Flowers in 1967 to share a similar sound. Uchida changed the name of the group to the Flower Travellin' Band in 1970. Their album Anywhere included covers of heavy metal band Black Sabbath and progressive rock band King Crimson. The group moved to Canada and released their first original album, Satori, in 1971. This album is now seen as a beginning of heavy metal music in Japan, along with Kirikyogen and doom metal. Japanese heavy metal bands started appearing in the late 1970s, led by groups like Bow Wow (1975), 44 Magnum (1977), and Earthshaker (1978). In 1977, Bow Wow supported Aerosmith and Kiss on their Japanese tours. They performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Reading Festival in England in 1982. After changes in members led to a more commercial sound, the group changed its name to Vow Wow and moved to England. Their 1989 album Helter Skelter reached number 75 on the UK Albums Chart.
In the 1980s, many Japanese heavy metal bands formed. Loudness was created in 1981 by former Lazy members Akira Takasaki and Munetaka Higuchi. In 1983, they toured the United States and Europe and focused on an international career. In 1985, Loudness signed with Atco Records, becoming the first Japanese metal band on a major US label. Their albums Thunder in the East (1985), Lightning Strikes (1986), and Hurricane Eyes (1987) reached numbers 74, 64, and 190 on the Billboard chart. In 1988, Loudness replaced their singer with an American vocalist, Michael Vescera, to grow their international popularity. Loudness became well-known among heavy metal fans in the United States. In the 1980s, few bands had female members, such as the all-female band Show-Ya, led by Keiko Terada, and Terra Rosa, with Kazue Akao on vocals. In September 1989, Show-Ya’s album Outerlimits reached number 3 on the Oricon album chart.
Happy End is considered the first rock band to sing in Japanese. Their self-titled debut album was released in August 1970 by the experimental label URC (Underground Record Club). This album was a turning point in Japanese music history, starting the "Japanese-language Rock Controversy" (日本語ロック論争, Nihongo Rokku Ronsō). Debates between rock industry leaders, including members of Happy End and Yuya Uchida, questioned whether Japanese rock music could succeed if sung entirely in Japanese. The success of Happy End’s debut album and their second album, Kazemachi Roman (1971), proved that Japanese-language rock music could thrive.
Bands like Carol (led by Eikichi Yazawa), RC Succession, and Funny Company were especially famous and helped shape the sound. Some musicians, starting in the late 1960s and active in the 1970s, mixed rock with American-style folk and pop rock. Folk rock musicians such as Tulip, Banban, Garo, and Yosui Inoue were popular.
In the early 1970s, Japanese musicians began experimenting with electronic rock. The most famous was Isao Tomita, whose 1972 album Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock used electronic synthesizers to perform rock and pop songs. Other early examples include Yosui Inoue’s Ice World (1973) and Osamu Kitajima’s Benzaiten (1974), both involving Haruomi Hosono, who later formed the techno pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1977.
Early Japanese punk rock bands included SS, the Star Club, the Stalin, Inu, Gaseneta, Bomb Factory, Lizard (produced by the Stranglers), and Friction (whose guitarist Reck had previously played with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks). The Blue Hearts were also part of the scene. The punk scene was captured in the 1982 film Burst City, directed by Sogo Ishii, which featured punk bands and musicians. Independent artists like Aburadako, P-Model, Uchoten, Auto-Mod, Buck-Tick, Guernica, and Yapoos (both featuring Jun Togawa), G-Schmitt, Totsuzen Danball, and Jagatara, along with noise/industrial bands like Hijokaidan and Hanatarashi, were also active.
In the 1980s, bands like Boøwy inspired the "Band Boom" (バンドブーム, Bando Būmu), encouraging the formation of rock groups. In 1980, Huruoma and Ry Cooder, an American musician, collaborated with Shoukichi Kina, the leader of the Okinawan band Champloose. Sandii & the Sunsetz later blended Japanese and Okinawan influences. Alternative rock bands like Shonen Knife, Bloodthirsty Butchers, B