Is punk music popular in Japan?
“Punk Music has a certain amount of followers but it is certainly not as big as mainstream pop or heavy metal. There is a core, however. I think when certain people reach a certain age they change their tastes to suit the scene they are in at that stage. They may start out being punk followers but when they get older everyone is changing around them and so they change too. From punk to middle-of-the-road is usually the transformation.” Surely punk music and the ethos that goes with it is frowned upon in such a conservative country as Japan? “Japan is as conservative as England.” Can punk music still change things like it did in the 70s. Is it still as relevant? “Well, we want to change music and society. We have been influenced by punk music, but it is most important for us to express ourselves within our music. Punk music doesn’t have to change things but we want people to listen to what we have to say. We have a message and we want people to understand that. We certainly don’t want t
