J-pop acts flood Korea's biggest venues as streaming surges 57.5% — Kimura Takuya headlines September

J-pop streaming on KT Genie Music climbed 29.5% in the first half of this year versus the same period last year — and 57.5% compared to all of 2024. The numbers track with a visible shift in where Japanese acts are performing when they come to Korea.

Fuji Kaze filled Gocheok Sky Dome. Official Hige Dandism and King Gnu played KSPO Dome. Boundy took Inspire Arena. These venues are nothing like the small halls that used to host Japanese artists visiting Seoul.

Kimura Takuya, the actor-singer who came up through SMAP, will hold his first-ever Korea concert in September at Inspire Arena. His debut was 38 years ago.

Yonezu Kenshi's Iris Out, the theme song for the animated film Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc, has sat at No. 1 on Oricon streaming for 22 consecutive weeks—a new solo record. The track is part of what's driving Korean listener interest.

K-pop infrastructure is getting pulled into the picture too. Hive's fan platform Weverse, which counts 90% of its users from outside Korea, now has 20 Japanese acts listed. AKB48, Yoasobi, Mrs. Green Apple, and Katori Shingo are among them. Philippine acts BINI and SB19 have also opened official Weverse communities.

Cutie Street, an 8-member girl group under Japan's Asobi System, ran a solo concert in Korea in March. They appeared on Mnet's M Countdown and KBS2's Music Bank, and performed at the 2026 Weverse Con Festival. Asobi System CEO Nakaagawa Yusuke told Weverse Japan CEO Moon Jisu in a recent interview: "The response to Cutie Street in Korea is the result of Weverse collaboration." He added that sales in North America and India rose noticeably after the group's Korean music-show appearances. (Korea as a launchpad for global reach — that's the play.)

"The Korean market is a very important market for global advancement," Nakaagawa said.

On the domestic side, Japanese-born singer and broadcaster Gangnam is set to release a J-pop Remake Vol.1 project this month, producing Korean artist covers of Japanese classic songs.