The second Music Awards Japan will culminate in a grand ceremony on June 13 at Toyota Arena Tokyo, capping a week of events set to begin June 5.

At a press conference last week, organizers confirmed a slate of events scheduled across various locations, including an anime-focused showcase on June 9 featuring singer Masayoshi Oishi, girl group TrySail and the multimedia project Love Live! Sunshine!! There will also be a “Surf & Breeze” concert on June 11 with guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka and pop singer Anri.

This year’s awards drew more than 2,000 entries across 78 categories, up from 62 last year. The six main categories are song of the year, artist of the year, new artist of the year, album of the year, best global hit from Japan and best song Asia.

Among the entries, “Iris Out” by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, “Blue Jeans” by girl group Hana and “Jane Doe” by Hikaru Utada and Kenshi Yonezu are competing for song of the year. Artist of the year contenders include Mrs. Green Apple, Kaze Fujii and Chanmina. Creepy Nuts dominated the inaugural Music Awards Japan, held in Kyoto last year, winning nine “Rubies,” red glass statuettes that are awarded as trophies.

Music Awards Japan is spearheaded by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association, a coalition of five major music associations. The awards program was launched to raise the global profile of Japanese music while encouraging growth in the domestic market.

Nominees for the 2026 edition will be announced April 30. Nominations for five of the six main categories will be determined by Music Awards Japan voting members, a bloc that counts more than 5,000 music industry professionals from Japan and abroad. The best global hit from Japan category will include a first round of voting by Spotify listeners outside the country, followed by a final round by voting members.

Pop singer Kento Nakajima and actor Mei Hata will serve as this year’s ambassadors.

“There have been so many moments in my daily life where music has been there to support me,” Hata said at the press conference. “It’s become one of the things I can’t imagine living without.”

Nakajima, who appeared in a prerecorded video message, said: “I want to help make this awards ceremony — which brings together so many wonderful artists and songs representing Japan’s music scene — as exciting as possible in my role as ambassador.”