Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) (日本レコード協会, Nihon Rekōdo Kyōkai) is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
Formation
1942
Technical standards, licensing and royalties
19 main members, 15 associated members and 24 supporting members (all as of August 2009)
Hirohumi Shigemura
(Chairman & CEO)
Yoichiro Hata
(Senior Managing Director & COO)
The RIAJ's activities include promotion of music sales, enforcement of copyright law, and research related to the Japanese music industry. It publishes the annual RIAJ Year Book, a statistical summary of each year's music sales, as well as distributing a variety of other data.
Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, the RIAJ has twenty member companies and a smaller number of associate and supporting members; some member companies are the Japanese branches of multinational corporations headquartered elsewhere.
The association is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in Japan.