2018 in Japanese music

The year 2018 in Japanese music.

Number ones

 * Oricon number-one albums
 * Oricon number-one singles
 * Hot 100 number-one singles

Awards

 * 60th Japan Record Awards
 * 2018 MTV Video Music Awards Japan

Debuting groups

 * April
 * Day6
 * dps
 * Dreamcatcher
 * Empire
 * EXID
 * Fantastics from Exile Tribe
 * First Place
 * GFriend
 * Gugudan
 * Hachimitsu Rocket
 * King & Prince
 * Mamamoo
 * Myteen
 * Raise A Suilen
 * Red Velvet
 * Seventeen
 * Spira Spica
 * STU48
 * Uijin
 * Yoshimotozaka46
 * Zutomayo

Debuting soloists

 * Aina the End
 * Shuta Sueyoshi
 * Ryuji Imaichi
 * Taiki Yamazaki
 * Minori Suzuki
 * Mai Fuchigami
 * Misako Uno
 * Ryucheru
 * Rika Tachibana
 * Kiyoe Yoshioka
 * Kaori Ishihara
 * Shigeru Joshima
 * Haruka Yamazaki
 * Yuma Uchida
 * Makoto Furukawa
 * Ryusei Yokohama
 * Yuka Ozaki
 * Reona
 * Chiaki Satō
 * Yuka Ozaki
 * Akari Nanawo
 * Chiaki Ito
 * Meimi Tamura
 * Halca
 * Taemin
 * Key

Returning from hiatus

 * Ayami Mutō
 * Eir Aoi
 * KAT-TUN
 * Ami Wajima
 * Ellegarden
 * Hilcrhyme
 * Ikimonogakari
 * Charisma.com

Disbanding

 * Idol Renaissance
 * La PomPon
 * Mix Speaker's,Inc.
 * GEM
 * Chelsy
 * Cheeky Parade
 * Chatmonchy
 * Ciao Bella Cinquetti
 * Tackey & Tsubasa
 * Passpo
 * Babyraids Japan
 * Vanilla Beans
 * X21
 * Aqua Timez
 * Secret
 * Tahiti

Retiring

 * Tetsuya Komuro
 * Namie Amuro
 * Chiyo Okumura
 * Hideaki Takizawa (Tackey & Tsubasa)
 * Hitomi Yoshizawa

Going on hiatus

 * Charisma.com
 * Folks
 * Tsubasa Imai (Tackey & Tsubasa)
 * Chris Hart
 * Mao Denda
 * Jero
 * Yumi Hara
 * Keito Okamoto (Hey! Say! JUMP)
 * Nobuo Uematsu
 * Shiori Niiyama
 * Rice
 * Sads

Deaths

 * January 26 – Junji Yayoshi, guitarist and record producer (b. 1968)
 * January 31 – Itokin, MC and track maker (b. 1979)
 * April 24 – Doji Morita, singer-songwriter (b. 1953)
 * April 27 – Yukiji Asaoka, singer and actress (b. 1935)
 * May 16 – Hideki Saijo, singer and actor (b. 1955)
 * October 12 – Takehisa Kosugi, composer and violinist (b. 1938)
 * November 14 – Masahiro Sayama, jazz pianist (b. 1953)
 * November 25 – Norio Maeda, jazz pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1934)