One of Japan’s beloved holiday
traditions is coming under scrutiny of K-pop fans around the world. The Kouhaku
Uta Gassen is Japan’s favorite New Years Eve television program that airs
annually and features appearances by the year’s most popular artists in the
Japanese music scene. This year’s lineup of participating artists made
headlines for its shocking lack of singers and bands of Korean descent. Considering
the high number of Korean artists whose albums and songs have topped Japan’s
Oricon charts and enjoyed successful concert ticket sales in Japan, appearances
by K-pop artists on Kouhaku have been common in the last few years. NHK denied
accusations that this year’s surprisingly K-pop-devoid selection is related to
issues of race and nationality, instead stating that Korean artists were simply
not popular enough to be invited to the annual program. (“NHK Denies Lack of K-Pop at Kohaku Uta Gassen Due to Racial Tensions”)
In
another interesting observation of Asian year-end programming, the
Korean-produced MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards) seems to only target
Chinese-speaking audiences in its outreach efforts. Despite Japan accounting
for 70 percent of the Korean music industry’s overseas proceeds, the Korean
cable channel Mnet interestingly chose Macau, Singapore, and Hong Kong as the
venue for the three MAMA awards ceremonies that have taken place thus far. Is
the Korean Wave leaning toward China in Asia’s pop warfare, having encountered
Japanese criticism? Perhaps. After all, Korean actors are regularly hired to
play lead roles in Chinese productions even despite their inability to speak
Mandarin or Cantonese. Even obvious dubbing apparently can’t get in the way of
Chinese viewers’ hunger for Korean celebrities and shows.
Despite NHK's denial, the sudden and complete lack of chart-topping K-pop artists from the Kouhaku Uta Gassen in the aftermath of significantly increased tensions in the Japan-Korea bilateral relationship can not be easily overlooked. Does this dampen not only holiday cheer among diehard fans in Japan but also dash the hopes of scholars and practitioners who believed in the power and potential of popular culture to overcome racial tensions or political disputes? Are cultural envoys now out of the question, and will Japanese housewives no longer flock the streets of Seoul after watching Visit Korea videos featuring boy bands and pop princesses? Probably not. But the geopolitics of pop in East Asia will nevertheless hold significant implications for the applicability and effectiveness of soft power and cultural diplomacy.
Thank you for your post Grace! You raise an important point when highlighting that sour Japan-Korea bilateral relations presently, are hindering the effectiveness of soft power and cultural diplomacy. Denying K-pop artists from performing at this holiday event is quite surprising. K-pop is huge in Japan, and becoming even more popular in other countries.
ReplyDeleteJust last year, many K-pop artists, such as Super Junior, performed at here in the U.S. at Madison Square Garden and were well-received. In my opinion, whatever biases led to the non-selection of K-pop artists will only result in a negative outcome for the Kouhaku Uta Gassen holiday program. Many diehard Japanese K-pop fans might feel less-compelled to watch the TV program because their favorite artists will not be performing.
Trying to strengthen nationalist pride might have been a factor in the final selection for artists who would perform. But, overall this outcome will not cause a hindrance in the immense popularity of K-pop in Japan. With some given time I am sure relations between the two countries will improve.