Which Japanese singers have stood the test of time?

Question

Which Japanese singers have stood the test of time?

Answer 1

I would say Ayumi Hamasaki.

Many female JPop singers get replaced by the time they hit 25 for the younger teenage ones.

She's been prominent for over 10 years now and is still having #1 hits whenever she releases her singles (not to mention she's turning 30).

Answer 2

The Bz's have been quite a popular band for a long time. Also, Southern All Stars and Dreams Come True, SMAP.

But, probably some of the singers that have been around the longest have been Enka singers like Tendou Yoshimi and Kitajima Saburou. They might not be well known to non-Japanese J-Pop fans, but I still think their concerts draw lots of fans and that Enka music is still very popular and has fans of all different ages.  

Answer 3

Yoshiki.

He's 43 but I think he stills looks like he's in the early 30s.

He's stopped cross dressing but I think he still looks pretty good.

But that's if you're asking appearance-wise...

If you meant the question to be music-wise... I'd probably say X Japan.

Answer 4

I'd say Kitajima Saburo(enka singer), l'arc en ciel(jpop band), and YMO(synthpop, electronic), who pioneered the use of electronic instruments.

Answer 5

People never seem to get tired of SMAP. Seiko-chan has been around for a long time. He never did vocals but Ryuichi Sakamoto is likely the most influential Japanese musician of all time, and he's still around. Yeah-Yoshiki is still rocking.