J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop. It refers to Western-influenced Japanese popular music. The term J-pop was coined by J-Wave, an FM radio station, to denote what was once called "New Music." The term is widely used in Japan to describe many different musical genres including pop, rock, dance, rap, and soul. J-Rock, Visual Kei and J-rap are generally considered to fall under the J-pop umbrella as well. Singers of J-pop include both popular musicians and seiyū.

Japanese stores typically divide their music into 4 sections: J-pop, Enka (a traditional form of ballad), classical, and English/International. Some songs, such as those by Miyuki Nakajima and Anzenchitai, represent a fusion of Enka with J-pop.

J-pop music is an integral part of Japanese popular culture. It is used everywhere: anime, stores, commercials, movies, radio shows, TV shows, and video games. Some television news programs even run a J-pop song during their end credits.

J-pop songs are often played at a very rapid frantic pace, making them difficult to enjoy for some people. In anime and television shows, particularly dorama, opening and closing songs are changed up to four times per year. As most programs have both opening and closing songs it is possible for one show to use 8 tracks in a single season. In comparison the hour-long American show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran for a total of seven seasons (1997-2003), has only 30 songs on its two albums released in the United States. An anime series of the same length could have up to 56 full songs, at least one single, and it would only fill 30 minutes on TV.

The sheer number of songs that are released means the faces of J-pop areconstantly revolving. Many artists will only release one album and several singles before fading back into anonymity. It is very difficult to stay prominent for longer than this and artists who sustain their popularity for a decade are considered outstanding. Groups like Dreams Come True, Chage & Aska, B'z, Southern All Stars, the pillows, and TUBE that have been popular for over 15 years are considered to be phenomenal successes.