- There is an extremely wide variety of musical instruments to be found in Japan. They can be divided into two categories: Japanese instruments and Western instruments. Examples of the former include Japanese pipes, tsuzumi (hand drums), bells, biwa (lutes), taiko (drums), shakuhachi, shamisen, and kokyu (Chinese fiddles), and examples of the latter include harmonicas, harps, tambourines, flutes, pianos, guitars, mandolins, organs, clarinets, trumpets, horns, and violins, etc. Below we focus mainly on Western instruments.
- Musical instruments are essentially media for producing noises to make music. The most primitive forms of musical instrument include the human body, ground and everyday tools. Noise-making devices such as sirens, for example, are sometimes used as musical instruments. The Japanese word for musical instrument, (gakki), was already in use in China in the Sung dynasty, and in Japan in the Kamakura period.
- Annual domestic sales of musical instruments produced in Japan are in excess of 100 billion yen. Japanese exports of musical instruments were worth 102.8 billion yen in 1999. Imports during the same year were worth 42.259 billion yen.
- Imports' share of the Japanese market has risen from 18% to 24% over the past few years. Despite some variation in the proportion of imports depending on the type of instrument, imports generally stagnated between 1991 and 1993 before beginning to grow again from 1994.
- Imports of musical instruments between 1995 and 1999 wwere as follows:
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
| Pianos |
2,908 |
3,202 |
2,177 |
| Stringed instruments |
5,144 |
7,893 |
6,751 |
| Pipe organs |
357 |
991 |
169 |
| Accordions and harmonicas |
353 |
515 |
1,174 |
| Wind instruments |
4,644 |
5,369 |
3,938 |
| Percussion instruments |
1,541 |
2,079 |
2,033 |
| Electric and electronic instruments |
9,732 |
15,094 |
14,430 |
| Other instruments |
1,024 |
1,051 |
1,445 |
| Parts and accessories |
7,064 |
10,877 |
10,142 |
| Total |
32,767 |
47,071 |
42,259 |
(Unit: million yen / Source: Japan Trade Monthly)
Pianos include upright pianos, grand pianos, harpsichords and other keyboard instruments. Stringed instruments are instruments such as guitars and instruments played with a bow. Pipe organs are keyboard instruments such as pipe organs and harmonias with free metal reeds. Wind instruments are instruments such as brass instruments, and other instruments are instruments such as music boxes, rchestrions and Bavarian organs.
- The sources of imports of the main types of musical instrument in 1999 were as follows:
- Pianos: Germany (1,134), South Korea (307), Austria (183), U.S.A. (154), North Korea (148), Czech Republic (61), Italy (40), others (150)
Total: 2,177
- Stringed instruments: United States (1,759), South Korea (976), Italy (922), China (767), Germany (629), U.K. (190), France (146), others (1,362)
Total: 6,751
- Accordions and harmonicas: Indonesia (624), China (242), Germany(239), Italy (48), others (21)
Total: 1,174
- Wind instruments: France (1,479), U.S.A. (998), Germany (583), Taiwan (303), U.K. (174), others (401)
Total: 3,938
- Percussion instruments: Taiwan (708), U.S.A. (607), China (156), Canada (142), Thailand (101), others (319)
Total: 2,033
- Electric and electronic instruments: U.S.A. (4,323), China (3,239), Malaysia (2,174), South Korea (1,696), Indonesia(1,253), Mexico (427), Thailand (333), others (985)
Total: 14,430
(Unit: million yen / Source: Japan Trade Monthly)
- Imports of musical instruments are divided into two categories: high- priced instruments from Europe and North America, and low-priced instruments from Asia. Imports by country and region between 1995 and 1999 were as follows:
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
(share) |
| U.S.A. |
7,008 |
9,233 |
8,420 |
(26.2%) |
| China |
1,846 |
5,041 |
4,620 |
(14.4%) |
| South Korea |
3,452 |
3,349 |
2,995 |
( 9.3%) |
| Germany |
3,304 |
4,293 |
2,875 |
( 9.0%) |
| Taiwan |
2,241 |
2,823 |
2,425 |
( 7.6%) |
| Others |
7,852 |
11,546 |
10,781 |
(33.5%) |
| Total |
25,703 |
36,285 |
32,116 |
( 100%) |
(Unit: million yen Source: Japan Trade Monthly)
As these figures show, high-priced imports from Europe have recently fallen, while cheap imports from Asia have risen. Musical instruments can all be imported into Japan duty free.
- The destinations of exports in 1999 were as follows:
- Pianos: U.S.A. (13,510), Germany (1,871), Hong Kong (1,845), Canada (1,257), Taiwan (1,100), others (7,753)
Total: 27,336
- Stringed instruments: U.S.A. (723), Germany (160), United Kingdom (146), Canada (103), Taiwan (103), others (406)
Total: 1,586
- Other keyboard instruments (pipe organs, etc.): Thailand (23), Taiwan (9), Hong Kong (2), others (1)
Total: 35
- Accordions and harmonicas, etc.: Taiwan (74), U.S.A. (66), Hong Kong (3), Mexico (3), Malaysia (1), others (91)
Total: 238
- Wind instruments: U.S.A. (4,721), Germany (2,786), France (929), U.K.(866), Canada (248), others (3,851)
Total: 13,401
- Percussion instruments: U.S.A. (1,239), Germany (172), U. K.(78), Italy (77), France (72), others (533)
Total: 2,171
- Electric and electronic instruments: U.S.A. (16,591), Germany (5,173), U.K. (3,220), France (1,643), Canada (1,156), others (10,792)
Total: 38,575
(Unit: million yen / Source: Japan Trade Monthly)
It can be seen from these figures that Japan is both exporting and importing large quantities of musical instruments to and from Europe and North America.
- Musical instruments are precision instruments, and their quality is determined by their timbre, which is very sensitive. Instruments made in Japan are outstanding in terms of quality and maintenance, and are also cheaper than instruments made in Europe and North America. As Western musical instruments developed in parallel with the development of Western music, however, there is in part a strong admiration for foreign-made products, and European and North American makers' brands enjoy a strong presence. At the same time, however, imports of cheap Asian instruments have risen as technical standards in the region have improved, and Japanese makers have increased OEM production and shifted production offshore due to rising production costs pushed up by labor costs within Japan. Having begun with guitars and percussion instruments, manufacturers have recently started to export low-priced electronic instruments to Japan.
- The following points should be borne in mind regarding the import, sale and labeling of musical instruments in Japan: a) When imported, musical instruments that contain certain materials (such as guitars made using rosewood, and pianos made using ivory) may be subject to the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law under the Washington Pact. b) When sold, electric and electronic instruments are subject to regulation under the Electric Appliance Control Law, and pianos and electronic keyboards are subject to regulation under the Law for the Prevention of Unreasonable Premiums and Misrepresentation Concerning Products and Services.
- As well as having a fairly long lifespan of around 10 to 20 years, musical
instruments will often be used for a long time because of their owners' attachment to them, and they will frequently be repeatedly repaired and tuned. In the case of imported instruments, it is import that agents (wholesalers of musical instruments) liaise closely with retailers to establish a reliable after-sales service setup. It is essential to keep supplies of repairs and replacement parts constantly on hand and to provide training for repairers. Because of this, the distribution channel is simple: Overseas maker ? (import trading company) ? wholesaler (import agent) ? retailer ? consumer
- In the future, imports of musical instruments from Asia are expected to grow further due to technological improvements in the region. Imports from China are projected to grow particularly strongly.
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