How to Crack Japan: The Big Bang Theory

Universal Music

A blast of K-pop
Big Bang eye the lucrative Japanese market

For the past 20 years or more, Japan has successfully sold its superinfectious brand of pop music in other Asian markets. Now the South Koreans want to follow suit. The vocalist Rain — among the TIME 100 in 2006 — remains the international face of K-pop, but a host of other artists are eager to follow in his wake. Their appeal to Western audiences remains niche — Rain himself has struggled to make an impression in the U.S., despite a ton of MTV appearances and onstage backup from the likes of Omarion and Diddy. That leaves Japan as the...

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