Takeshi Okada of Warner Music Japan on Superfans, Global Stages and a New Era: Billboard Global Power Players Interview
Categoria: Musica
Warner Music Japan’s President & CEO was chosen for Billboard's Global Power Players list for the first time.
Por Billboard | 18/06/2026
Billboard ‘s Global Power Players list recognizes the leaders that are driving the success of the music business in countries outside the United States. Warner Music Japan’s President & CEO, Takeshi Okada, was chosen from the music industry leaders of the world for inclusion in the list for the first time. Billboard JAPAN interviewed Okada in recognition of his selection for the list, covering a wide range of topics, such as artists expanding their activity scopes overseas and the potential of the superfan market. Related Billboard’s 2026 Global Power Players Revealed The New York Knicks Dance Along as Alicia Keys Ends Championship Parade With 'Empire State of Mind' Role Model Announces Dates For Fall 2026 North American Tour In Support of 'Chuck Timely & the Hourglass' Album In December 2024, you were appointed the new President and CEO of Warner Music Japan. Roughly a year and a half have passed since then. How has it been for you? Takeshi Okada: Ever since I joined the company, I have expressed my strong desire to leverage the Warner Music Group’s global network and the expertise of individual markets to support Japanese artists on the global stage. We are now beginning to see the fruits of those efforts. Momentum to support Japanese talent has been growing at our global headquarters and various international affiliates. We’ve established a framework for strategic coordination. I feel confident that, going forward, we will continue to deliver strong results not just in Japan, but globally. In May of this year, Number_i signed a label deal with America’s prestigious Atlantic Records. In July 2025, Warner Music Japan signed a comprehensive agreement with Yuki Chiba. What kind of outcome are you envisioning from this agreement? Okada: Currently, Yuki Chiba is based in LA. He recently released “Medellín Takai,” a collaboration with a Colombian artist, Feid. There have also been collaboration offers from various overseas artists, so I think he’ll serve as a model for future overseas activities by Japanese artists. Another thing is that he collaborated with Lil Moshpit on the song “Annyeonghaseyo.” It generated a lot of buzz, especially in Korea and the rest of Asia, and there’s been a lot of UGC posted online. Depending on the track, we are seeing the potential for music to ignite in various countries and regions beyond just Japan and the U.S., scaling into true global hits. Looking ahead, in Japan, I would love to bring a music festival hosted by Yuki Chiba to life, featuring invited artists from overseas. Japan’s music industry is really focusing on increasing exports. What do you think it will take for content exports to reach 20 trillion yen by 2033? Okada: While we are seeing various Japanese artists begin to expand their footprint globally, these are still isolated success stories, or limited to specific genres and tracks. For Japanese music to truly explode on the world stage as a broader mo