J-Pop Radio Online: Japanese Pop Streaming Live
Published
You can listen to J-pop radio online in any browser, with no download and no account: open 72FM, search for "jpop", and press play. About eighty stations in the directory are tagged J-pop — internet stations run by fans, broadcasters in Japan, and channels from Toronto, Sydney and Europe — and a handful play nothing but city pop.
J-pop stations
- Listen.Moe JPop Vorbis — LISTEN.moe's J-pop channel, run by and for listeners; its sister channel, Listen.moe Kpop, plays K-pop.
- J1 Gold — Japanese pop of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
- Only Hits Japan — J-pop and J-rock hits.
- Japan Hits - asia DREAM radio — current J-pop, with sister channels J-Pop Sakura for older songs and J-Pop Powerplay Kawaii for idol pop.
- JPHiP Radio — J-pop around the clock.
- SBS PopAsia — Australia's SBS, with J-pop alongside K-pop and Cantonese and Mandarin pop.
From Japan
- NHK-FM — the public broadcaster's FM network, with classical music and Japanese pop.
- FM Kahoku 78.7 — community radio from Kahoku in Ishikawa, with enka and kayōkyoku, the older Japanese popular song.
- Gotanno FM 89.2 — indie pop and J-pop from Tokyo.
City pop
- BOX : Japan City Pop — city pop all day, the most-voted city pop stream in the directory.
- Yumi Co. Radio — city pop and future funk, from France.
- City Poppers and City Pop One — Japanese city pop.
The sound
Japanese pop grew out of kayōkyoku, the popular song of the post-war decades. In the late 1970s and 80s city pop gave it a glossy, jazz-and-funk sound, and Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love" found a new audience on YouTube more than thirty years later. Idol groups, anime theme songs and acts such as YOASOBI, whose "Idol" became a worldwide hit in 2023, carry it today. Anime radio online covers the anime songs, and Japanese radio online the rest of the dial.
A route in
- Listen.Moe JPop Vorbis, for J-pop with the song on screen.
- J1 Gold, for the classics.
- BOX : Japan City Pop, for city pop.
For the capital's own stations, Tokyo radio online is next.
Frequently asked questions
How can I listen to J-pop radio online for free?
Search for "jpop" on 72FM — LISTEN.moe, J1 Gold, Only Hits Japan and asia DREAM radio's Japan Hits are in the directory — no download and no account, with the daily free listening included.
Is there a city pop radio station?
Yes — BOX : Japan City Pop plays city pop all day, and Yumi Co. Radio, City Poppers and City Pop One play it too.
Is there K-pop radio too?
Yes — LISTEN.moe has a K-pop channel beside its J-pop one, and SBS PopAsia plays both; the K-pop radio guide has more.
Is there J-pop radio from Japan itself?
Yes — NHK-FM, FM Kahoku 78.7 in Ishikawa and Gotanno FM 89.2 in Tokyo stream from Japan.