The nominees and artists for "MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026," Japan's largest international music awards, were announced on April 30th. The nominees for Best Song are "Blue Jeans" by HANA, "IRIS OUT" by Kenshi Yonezu, "Kaiju" by Sakanaction, "Kakumei Dochu -On The Way-" by Aina the End, and "Suki Sugite Metsu!" by M! LK. The nominees for Best Artist are Fujii Kaze, HANA, Mrs. Green Apple, Sakanaction, and Kenshi Yonezu.
The announcement was made at an event held in Tokyo on the same day. Kento Nakajima and Mei Hata, who serve as ambassadors for the award, appeared at the event.
The "MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN" is an international music award selected by over 5,000 musicians, including artists, creators, record company staff, concert promoters, music publishers, and judges for international music awards. It was established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry, including the Recording Industry Association of Japan, transcending their respective boundaries. The first awards were held in 2025, and "Mrs. GREEN APPLE" won the Best Artist Award.
"MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026" will be even larger in scale than its first edition. The awards ceremony will be held on June 13th, where the best works and artists will be announced.
◇Nominated works and artists in the six major categories (titles omitted)
<Best Song Award>
"Blue Jeans" HANA▽ "IRIS OUT"Kenshi Yonezu ▽ "Kaiju" Sakanaction▽ "Kakumei Dochu - On The Way"Aina the End ▽ "Suki Sugite Metsu!" M!LK
<Best Artist Award>
Fujii Kaze▽HANA▽ Mrs. Green Apple ▽Sakanaction▽ Kenshi Yonezu ▽
<Best New Artist Award>
CANDY TUNE▽HANA▽luv▽STARGLOW▽Brandy Chronicles
<Best Album Award>
"10"Mrs. Green Apple ▽ "Dear Jubilee -RADWIMPS TRIBUTE-" Various Artists ▽ "Gen" Gen Hoshino ▽ "Prema" Fujii Kaze ▽ "THANK YOU SO MUCH" Southern All Stars
＜Best Global Hit From Japan＞
"HYPNOTIZE" XG▽ "IRIS OUT"Kenshi Yonezu ▽ "JANE DOE"Kenshi Yonezu, Hikaru Utada▽ "ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids)" LiSA▽ "Shut up" Ado
<Best Asian Song Award>
[Indonesia] “Tabola Bale” Silet Open Up▽ [Philippines] “Multo” Cup of Joe▽ [South Korea] “Dash” PLAVE▽ [South Korea] “Drowning” WOODZ▽ [South Korea] “Golden” HUNTR/X
