The Music Awards Japan (MAJ) took place this week in Tokyo. The MAJ is the country’s most important music award ceremony, similar to the Grammy Awards in the United States. At this event, rock trio Mrs. Green Apple won Artist of the Year for the second year, showing their continued success in Japanese pop music. Kaze Fujii was given Album of the Year, and the band Sakanaction won Song of the Year for their single "Kaiju."

The main reason for the awards' growing popularity is the rise of J-pop, which is now known worldwide. This change is because of more people listening to Japanese music on streaming apps and following Japanese artists on social media.

Because of this global interest, the MAJ now uses data from international streaming and allows fans from around the world to vote. The awards also help Japanese artists get more attention in other countries.