In a recent feature by SisaIN, one of South Korea’s leading current affairs magazines, the publication highlighted how Japanese idols have become an everyday presence in K-pop—no longer outliers, but core members of the industry’s evolution.

From TWICE’s “MiSaMo” trio to LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura and BABYMONSTER’s Asa, Japanese artists are no longer exceptions within K-pop groups. Their presence reflects a deeper cultural shift—one that goes beyond cross-border collaboration to signal a new form of regional integration within Asia’s dominant pop industry.

From Outsiders to Icons

A decade ago, a Japanese idol in a Korean group would have been considered a novelty. While Chinese or Southeast Asian members occasionally featured in K-pop acts, Japanese artists were a rarity—seen more as overseas consumers of Korean culture than as participants in its production.

That started to change in 2015 with the debut of TWICE, whose inclusion of three Japanese members—Mina, Sana, and Momo—pioneered a hybrid group strategy that would eventually become a blueprint for many agencies. These members weren’t merely tokens of cultural diversity—they became central figures in the group’s identity and popularity, especially in Japan.

Their seamless integration into the K-pop system, particularly their fluency in Korean and mastery of the idol training process, challenged assumptions about what it meant to be a “foreign” artist. TWICE went on to become the first K-pop girl group to sell over 20 million records combined in Korea and Japan, with “MiSaMo” becoming shorthand for successful Japanese idols in K-pop.

Sakura and the Idol Crossroad

In 2018, Miyawaki Sakura took the trend further. Already a star in Japan with HKT48, she entered the Korean market through the joint audition show Produce 48 and debuted as a member of IZ*ONE. Her journey represented more than just a nationality swap—it was a convergence of two different idol systems, J-pop and K-pop.

Sakura’s success in Korea, characterized by polished performances and professional fan engagement, highlighted both the differences and shared values of the two industries. After IZ*ONE disbanded, she returned to the spotlight as a member of LE SSERAFIM, further solidifying her place in Korean pop culture.

Unlike MiSaMo, who trained entirely under the K-pop system, Sakura carried with her the hallmarks of J-pop stardom—blending her cultural identity with the rigorous polish of Korean idolhood. In Japan, she is seen not only as a crossover success but also as a cultural ambassador in the K-pop world.

A New Generation Emerges

More recently, Japanese members like Iroha of ILLIT and Asa of BABYMONSTER are carving new identities not based on their nationality but on performance merit. Iroha has earned praise as her group’s standout dancer, while Asa’s live rap stages have gone viral across Korean and Japanese social media.

The difference lies in positioning. While MiSaMo and Sakura were often framed through the lens of their “Japanese-ness,” this new wave of idols is blending more seamlessly into the broader K-pop identity. They are not Japanese in K-pop; they are simply K-pop idols who happen to be Japanese.

This shift suggests that K-pop has matured to a point where foreign origin, especially Japanese, is no longer a novelty but an asset—normalized and celebrated, not scrutinized.

Weathering Diplomatic Storms

K-pop’s cultural diplomacy has not been without its hurdles. The industry has historically been sensitive to Korea–Japan political relations, with incidents like former president Lee Myung-bak’s 2012 visit to the disputed Dokdo islets triggering downturns in Japanese market engagement.

Yet, the fandom has proven resilient. Despite the 2019 trade disputes and periods of diplomatic tension, the number of K-pop concertgoers in Japan nearly doubled between 2018 and 2023. Today, Japan remains the second-largest music market globally and a crucial pillar of K-pop’s international strategy.

The normalization of Japanese idols reflects this evolution. K-pop is no longer merely “exporting” Korean culture to Japan—it’s building a shared cultural ecosystem. Whether it’s localized promotions, Japanese member recruitment, or the creation of tailored sub-units, the synergy has grown both artistically and economically.

The Road Ahead

The increasing presence of Japanese idols is a testament to K-pop’s cultural flexibility and its ability to integrate diverse identities while maintaining its signature polish and intensity.

What started as a strategic move has grown into a quiet cultural revolution—one where artists like MiSaMo and Sakura opened the doors, and new stars like Asa and Iroha now walk confidently through.

No longer defined by flags, these artists represent a new phase of K-pop: global in appeal, regional in strength, and deeply personal in expression.

As political winds shift and new governments take office, the bridges built by these idols—between Japan and Korea, between J-pop and K-pop, and between tradition and innovation—seem unlikely to crumble.

After all, the stage belongs to those who can command it. And Japanese idols in K-pop are doing just that.