Made in Japan serves as a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to the history, sociology, and musicology of contemporary Japanese popular music. Each essay, written by a leading scholar of Japanese music, covers the major figures, styles, and social contexts of pop music in Japan and provides adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance. The book first presents a general description of the history and background of popular music, followed by essays organized into thematic sections: Putting Japanese Popular Music in Perspective; Rockin’ Japan; and Japanese Popular Music and Visual Arts.

Tōru Mitsui is Professor Emeritus at Kanazawa University taught the first postgraduate course in popular music studies in Japan. His publications in English include Karaoke Around the World: Global Technology, Local Singing, co-edited with S. Hosokawa (1998).