This year, MTV Networks Japan are heading into their 10th year and they’ve announced that the international music award ceremony, “MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN”, (VMAJ) will become “MTV VIDEO MUSIC AID JAPAN”; a relief event for the area struck by the Great Eastern Japan earthquake. This event is in coordination with the Red Cross of Japan and will display things like what the people are doing to reconstruct the area. Furthermore, it has been decided that the MC of this event will be popular idol group AKB48.

Generally, this program is a festival where the viewers vote for the “Best Music Video”, but it has quickly changed to a disaster relief through music event.

Viacom explained, “Throughout the world, music fans are trying to support Japan. So this year, VMAJ’s ‘AWARD’ has been changed to ‘AID’.” They expressed their hopes, “Music has the power to encourage people. We hope that the music fans throughout the world will be willing to offer help”.

“MTV VIDEO MUSIC AID JAPAN” will be held on June 25th (Saturday) at Makuhari Messe Makuhari Event Hall in Chiba. The event will be broadcast live to the 7.7 million households who subscribe to MTV in Japan, as well as other regions of Asia. Also, it will be broadcast to around 600 million households around the world at a later date.

Nominations, voting methods, subscription methods, and performing artists will be announced in a few days.

Currently, MTV Japan is airing a program to encourage the victims through music, and the program is called “MUSIC OF HOPE”. MTV has opened up a special site (http://www.mtvjapan.com/moh) with music videos, live performances, and support videos from artists domestic and abroad to help cheer people up.

source: tokyohive