K-pop concert attendance in Japan surpasses pre-COVID levels

Looser visa rules expected to bring more performances by foreign entertainers

20240205N Black Pink

Blackpink has driven ticket sales of K-pop concerts in Japan. (YG Entertainment)

NATSUMI KAWASAKI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- The number of fans attending K-pop concerts in Japan has likely surpassed audience traffic from before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an industry group.

Performances by these South Korean artists drew 2.75 million people nationwide during the first half of 2023, the All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (ACPC) reports. The ACPC expects that full-year attendance outstripped the 3.56 million concertgoers recorded in 2019.

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