JAM Project Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Concert ‘Final Countdown,’ Spreads Anime Songs to Fans

By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

10:30 JST, January 9, 2026

JAM Project, a group of singers specializing in anime songs (anison), held a series of concerts in Osaka and Yokohama in November to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

JAM stands for Japan Animation Song Makers. The unit is led by singer Hironobu Kageyama. The group was launched in 2000 to create and sing theme songs that would fit well with Japanese anime, which is popular around the world. Kageyama and other JAM members have sung the theme songs for various popular anime such as “One-Punch Man” and tokusatsu live-action superhero series including “Garo” and “Tomica Hero Rescue Fire” and “Super Robot Taisen” (“Super Robot Wars”) video games.

The other artists that make up JAM are singers Masaaki Endo, Hiroshi Kitadani, Masami Okui and Yoshiki Fukuyama — all talented artists who also have busy solo careers.

I attended the first of their two concerts that were held in Yokohama, titled “JAM Project 25th Anniversary Live Final Countdown.” It was a brilliant concert that could only have been executed by veteran singers with a wealth of performing experience. The concerts attracted an audience of about 8,200 in total.

The venue was Yokohama Buntai, a big hall that can accommodate several thousand people. Even so, there was no eye-catching set or staging, and there were no big displays on either side of the stage that showed close-ups of the artists’ faces. The place was set up in such a minimalist way that I felt that I had wondered into a huge club that had suddenly appeared in town. Because of that, the songs were overwhelming and moving.

From the opening, they sang many songs in succession, such as “Gong” and “Storm 2021,” without any talking in between. The accomplished quintet took turns singing the main and chorus parts, performing one anison after another, giving my ears a pleasant experience. I have attended so many concerts in person — performances that have lots of fun talks as well as concerts that feature blazing fire or a big balloon bouncing back and forth above the stage and the auditorium. But I thought it was pretty rare for a concert to bring the singing performances to the forefront in such a simple way. All the frills were toned down, leaving us with just the songs to listen to. I could feel their pride in their 25 years of performing.

A special mention should also go to the fact that they were brave enough to carry out a tour program for overseas fans, called the Arigato Tomodachi Project. The audience included 123 people from foreign countries and regions, such as Taiwan, South Korea, the United States, Chile, Thailand and the Netherlands, who used the program to come to Japan and attend the concerts. Visitors from China, including Hong Kong, were also in attendance despite current tensions between Japan and China.

JAM had the courage to tour the world from as early as 2008, when there were still only a few anison singers who gave concerts outside of Japan. JAM has also accepted invitations from across the globe, bringing courage and high spirits to their foreign audiences by offering authentic Japanese anison. I was very happy at their 25th anniversary concert because I felt their “No border” motto was well received everywhere they went.

The “Final Countdown” in the concert’s title apparently refers to a final battle that they must win to keep going, according to the head of the group’s management agency. For sure, each member is busy with their own activities and their age is increasing. Even so, I hope to keep on seeing the vision shown by the anison performed by JAM at their 30th, or even their 50th anniversary.

Kageyama used the word “kakubetsu” (very special) many times on stage, which keeps lingering in my mind. He said things like, “JAM’s staff are very special” and “Our fans are very special.” For all his words, the concert convinced me that it was JAM Project’s music that felt very special to us.