The music of Japan includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern. The oldest forms of traditional Japanese music are shōmyō, Buddhist chanting, and gagaku, orchestral court music, both of which date to the Nara and Heian periods. The modern Japanese music scene ranges from rock, electro, noise, drone, avant-garde, jazz, ambient, punk, folk, metal, reggae, salsa, and tango to country music and hip hop. Local music often appears at karaoke venues, which is on lease from the record labels. The old Japanese music has no specific beat, and is calm. The music is improvised most of the time.

The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining the kanji 音 ("on" sound) with the kanji 楽 ("gaku" fun, comfort).