Japanese idol culture began in 1960s, popular in 1970s

Japan's idol industry first emerged in the 1960s and became prominent in the 1970s through television. During the 1980s, regarded as the "Golden Age of Idols", idols drew in commercial interest and began appearing in commercials and television dramas.

As actors increasingly crossed into music during the late 1960s, a new kind of multi-talented entertainer began to emerge. The 1970s brought a defining shift with the launch of the audition show Star Tanjo!, which produced talents like Yamaguchi ...

The Japanese idol system has its roots in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the Japanese entertainment industry began to develop a distinctive approach to manufacturing and marketing young pop performers that drew on but diverged significantly ...

Thus, Japanese idol history began. The 1960s came, and Johnny Kitagawa founded his new company, Johnny & Associates. Along with that, the first idol group, “Johnnys,” emerged with Johnny as their manager.

Idol culture is a phenomenon in ... This culture has its roots in the 1950s and 1960s, when young singers and actors began to gain popularity among Japanese youth....

In Japan, the word only came into popularity in the 1960s. Initially, the term was used to refer to female performers manufactured into groups, but has now expanded to include male performers.

In Japan, by contrast, such standouts were (and even today are) typically called “stars” as opposed to “idols”. The term “idol” didn’t come into popularity until the 1960s with the worldwide boom in instrumental bands.

According to one definition, an ... in the 1960s when the word “idol” first appeared in Japan, idols referred to foreign film actors and musicians....

The modern concept of “idol” in Japan is said to have begun in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the rise of young, attractive stars who appealed to a predominantly teenage audience. However, it was in the 1970s that the term “idol” truly crystallized.