Best Chinese Actor = Vote Now!
Home
JPop

JASRAC Awards 2025: Japan’s Most Played, Sung and Streamed Songs of 2024 Unveiled

JASRAC Awards 2025: Japan’s Most Played, Sung and Streamed Songs of 2024 Unveiled

Another year, another banger from YOASOBI. The JASRAC Awards 2025 have officially landed, and for the second year running, "Idol" by YOASOBI (written by Ayase) takes home the prestigious Gold Award — proof that the “Oshi no Ko” magic is still very much alive across Japan’s airwaves, karaoke booths, and beyond.

Hosted annually by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, aka JASRAC, the awards recognise the most-used songs across all media — from TV to karaoke to pachinko machines (yes, really). 

JASRAC Awards 2025: Japan’s Most Played, Sung and Streamed Songs of 2024 Unveiled
JASRAC

First given out in 1982, and restructured in 1988 into the format we know today (Gold, Silver, Bronze, plus International and Foreign Song Awards), the JASRAC Awards are based not on popularity polls or chart sales but cold hard royalty numbers. So if your tune’s been rinsed all over the country, it’ll show up here.

Oh, and just to be clear — only songs managed by JASRAC are eligible. So if your fave is under NexTone (which does its own awards), you might not see them on this list. It’s less a snub, more a matter of copyright logistics.

🥇 Here’s your Top 10 most heard/sung/played songs in Japan for 2024:

JASRAC Awards 2025: Japan’s Most Played, Sung and Streamed Songs of 2024 Unveiled

  1. Gold – Idol – YOASOBI

  2. Silver – Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – Creepy Nuts

  3. Bronze – Shou – Ado

  4. Kawa no nagare no you ni – Misora Hibari

  5. Tensai Bakabon – Idol Four

  6. Toshishita no otokonoko – Candies

  7. M.LEAGUE Koushiki Anthem – Kawase Mikihiko & Sato Yoko

  8. ONE PIECE BGM

  9. Genki wo dashite – Takeuchi Mariya

  10. SPECIALZ – King Gnu

JASRAC Awards 2025: Japan’s Most Played, Sung and Streamed Songs of 2024 Unveiled

International Award: ONE PIECE BGM
Foreign Song Award: SOUL BOSSA NOVA – Quincy Jones (yes, that groovy Austin Powers one)

Notably, both Idol and ONE PIECE BGM made repeat appearances — evidence of anime’s ever-growing cultural muscle both in Japan and overseas.

🧠 Some Nerdy but Cool Notes:

  • Enka used to dominate the top spots in the ‘80s, largely due to karaoke’s heyday. That changed with the rise of pop and anime themes.

  • Most winners these days have been tied to visual media — anime, commercials, or films.

  • The record labels behind the top 3 tracks also get props, a little extra recognition for helping push the hits into public ears.

📺 When J-dramas Were the Kings of Soundtracks...

Long before anime themes started owning the charts, J-dramas used to be the powerhouse of memorable theme songs. Back in the ‘90s and early 2000s, you could barely separate a drama from its soundtrack — they were practically inseparable. A hit drama often meant a hit song, and vice versa.

Here’s a nostalgic stroll through some of the most iconic drama/movie tie-ins that bagged JASRAC Awards:

  • 1991: Love Story wa Totsuzen ni – Oda Kazumasa (Tokyo Love Story)

  • 1992: SAY YES – Chage & Aska (101 Kaime no Proposal)

  • 1997: CAN YOU CELEBRATE? – Amuro Namie (Virgin Road)

  • 2001: EVERYTHING – MISIA (Yamato Nadeshiko)

  • 2003–2005: Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana – SMAP (Boku no Ikiru Michi) – a recurring award-winner

  • 2006: Konayuki – Remioromen (1 Litre of Tears)

  • 2007: Flavor of Life – Utada Hikaru (Hana Yori Dango 2)

  • 2017: Koi – Hoshino Gen (Nigeru wa Haji Daga, Yaku ni Tatsu)

  • 2019–2020: Lemon – Yonezu Kenshi (Unnatural)

  • 2015–2019: Ito – Nakajima Miyuki (Seija no Koshin, Rikuou, and the film Ito) – talk about a multi-platform hit

But sadly, no drama song has made it into the awards in the past four years. Ouch.

🎤 So What Changed?

Simple — the power of anime. With mega-hits like Demon Slayer, ONE PIECE, and Oshi no Ko sweeping across the nation (and globally), it’s anime tunes that are now scoring the most royalties. Their reach is massive, and their usage across media formats is unmatched. Whether it’s a theme song, BGM, or commercial tie-in, anime songs are the new J-pop chart royalty.

And let’s be honest — when you’ve got YOASOBI, King Gnu, and Creepy Nuts writing theme songs for TV anime juggernauts, it’s not really a fair fight.

🕺 Songs That Just Won’t Quit

Some tracks seem to have an eternal shelf life:

  • Time goes by – Every Little Thing

  • Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana – SMAP

  • Kiseki – GReeeeN

  • Lemon – Yonezu Kenshi

  • Ito – Nakajima Miyuki

These songs have either won multiple years, been reused in various shows or ads, or simply never left the public’s consciousness. Legends, all of them.

We’ll be back soon to break down the NexTone Awards — a whole different vibe that shines a light on other popular hits often missed by the JASRAC lens.

Until then, YOASOBI can keep polishing that gold trophy. Again.

#JPop

Post a Comment