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Working Closely Together to Energize Asia’s Music Scene
Toward the end of last year, several shows by Japanese artists in China were canceled, which highlights how cultural and political issues between Asian countries still affect the entertainment world. In the face of these challenges, how do you approach music?
Nuno: Politics and music are deeply connected, and they inevitably influence each other. For example, even during China’s long-running unofficial restrictions on Korean pop culture, South Korea’s music industry managed to expand into Southeast Asia and Western markets and continue growing. I believe the key to navigating the balance between music and politics lies in maximizing the potential of different markets.
※ In 2016, following South Korea’s decision to deploy THAAD (a U.S.-developed missile defense system), China imposed unofficial retaliatory restrictions on Korean popular culture — including K-pop, Korean dramas, films, and tourism.
Nuno: That’s why, when we run into problems, it’s important not to turn away from them but to actively try to work through them. At the same time, we can’t depend on just one place. Creating a flexible market structure is, I think, what allows us to get through difficult situations.
Finally, to further energize Asia’s music scene, what kind of collaboration would you like to pursue with Japan in the future?
Nuno: Japan is the country we’ve collaborated with the most, and we hope to continue strengthening that relationship. We regularly invite Japanese artists to the four festivals we organize, and for EMERGE FEST in 2026, more than 20 Japanese acts have already been confirmed.
Nuno: In fact, after Taiwanese bands, Japanese bands are the ones who appear most frequently at our events. We also collaborate with FRIENDSHIP. to hold auditions.
Looking ahead, I’d like to bring even more Taiwanese bands to Japan. And beyond bands, we’re also seeing more idol groups emerging in Taiwan, influenced by Japan’s idol culture, so I’d love to create more opportunities for those kinds of artists as well.
So for Japanese artists who are interested in performing at events in Taiwan, I hope they’ll make use of IN-CON. I’d really like Japan to remain our closest partner country, and for us to keep working together to energize the Asian music scene.
𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
⭓ Dates | February 28–March 1, 2026
⭓ Time | DAY 1: 11:00–22:00 ｜ DAY 2: 11:00–21:50
⭓ Venue | Aofengshan Sports Park, Qingshui, Taichung
⭓ Lineup
Bisiugroup｜deca joins｜JAURIM｜TOUCHED｜Fire EX.｜MIXER｜PAPUN BAND｜FREDERIC｜go!go!vanillas｜The Chairs｜MangoJump｜Wendy Wander × Billyrrom｜I’mdifficult｜Sorry Youth｜Fool and Idiot｜Dragon Pony｜Wonfu｜VH｜THREEE｜Tota｜Cosmo’s Midnight｜SERIOUS BACON｜pami｜the cabs｜otoha｜溫室雜草｜Vulgar Savior｜Gongguan Youth｜P!SCO｜Thick Band｜Haku.｜Cho Q May｜berry meet｜ONEWE｜Redoor｜CAN’T BE BLUE｜kurayamisaka｜Snow Country｜Ghost Bookstore｜SHOOTUP｜Liang Hexuan｜Lonely Lily｜REJAY｜Instinct Industry｜Ao & Mountain｜JOYCE｜Nosu｜KIK｜Lin Jie Xin｜JhenYueTang ft. Nuno｜PASSEPIED｜INUWASI｜Quubi with Nine-Tail Band｜NEO JAPONISM｜yosugala｜soda shower!｜Pure makeR｜Tsukiyo Crescente｜THEΔRAREz｜Happy Holiday!!｜debloop｜Resonance Effect｜Hammer Head Shark｜3markets[ ]｜EVENFALL｜Yō-Yō｜sucola｜Random｜Up the Mountain｜Pacers｜Black petrol｜Wantamnam｜Night Keepers ft. XinU｜Kumu Basaw｜GOOD BYE APRIL｜liquid people｜GOODMOOD｜before the night ends｜Malpaca｜RIKI｜Quanzo & O.Dkizzya｜Jimmy H. & HomeRich｜Lavi｜O-VER-KiLL｜AKIRA KURØ
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