Filipino pop-rock band Cup of Joe represented the Philippines at the second edition of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, held Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan.
The group received the Special Award: Philippine Popular Music for its hit single “Multo” and performed the song during the afternoon’s Premiere Ceremony at SGC Hall Ariake in Tokyo Dream Park. The event’s red carpet and Grand Ceremony were held later that day at Toyota Arena Tokyo.
“Multo” was also nominated for Best Song Asia, one of the awards’ six main categories. It competed against songs representing Indonesia and South Korea, with the latter’s HUNTR/X ultimately winning the category for “Golden.”
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN is presented by Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association, or CEIPA, which was established by five major Japanese music-industry organizations. Guided by the concept “Connecting with the world, illuminating the future of music,” the awards aim to introduce Japanese and Asian music to wider international audiences.
The 2026 edition presented awards across 78 categories. Winners were largely determined through voting by more than 5,000 artists, creators, record-label representatives, concert promoters, publishers, international awards jurors, and other music-industry professionals. Some categories followed separate voting or selection processes.
Other regional honorees included Indonesian artist Hindia, whose song “everything u are” received the Indonesian Popular Music Special Award. South Korean artist G-DRAGON, Thai rapper YOUNGOHM, and Vietnamese singer Hòa Minzy also received their respective countries’ popular music special awards.
The Premiere Ceremony was broadcast on TOKYO MX, while the red carpet aired on NHK BS and the Grand Ceremony was shown live on NHK. The ceremonies were also streamed through YouTube in eligible regions, along with Lemino, ABEMA, and radiko.
The six main-category winners were:
- Song of the Year: “Kaiju” by Sakanaction
- Artist of the Year: Mrs. GREEN APPLE
- New Artist of the Year: HANA
- Album of the Year: “Prema” by Fujii Kaze
- Best Global Hit from Japan: “HYPNOTIZE” by XG
- Best Song Asia: “Golden” by HUNTR/X
The complete list of winners across all 78 categories is available on the official MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN website.
This article was written with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by the Hallyu Dorama team.