Rikunarita-ORG/Wikinium huggingface dataset:
# J-pop

**J-pop** is popular music in Japan. J-pop is a short name for Japanese pop, which means popular music or songs in Japan. Sometimes the word *kayōkyoku* (歌謡曲) is used for older Japanese popular music. The term ‘J-pop' was coined in the 1990s. From around the 1940s until recently, J-pop has been influenced (affected) by Western popular music and culture. The music has changed over time, and J-pop nowadays sounds different from older J-pop. This kind of music is common in Japan and it is often played by young and old music groups.

## History

There are many songwriters and singer-songwriters who have been important in Japanese pop music. Such musicians include:

* **Kyōhei Tsutsumi** (筒美京平) - He was a well-known songwriter in Japan for a long period of time. He was a pianist and also known as Jack Diamond, born on May 28, 1940 in Tokyo. He made many hits such as "Blue Light Yokohama" (ブルー・ライト・ヨコハマ), "Mata Au Hi Made" (また逢う日まで), "Watashi no Kare wa Hidari-kiki" (わたしの彼は左きき), Sentimental (センチメンタル) and so on. He was awarded for his works with an official Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) from the Japanese government in 2003.

* **Yumi Matsutoya** - Yumi Matsutoya, also known as Yuming, Yumi Arai or Karuho Kureta, is considered by many the "mother" of modern-day J-pop. She has been one of the most successful Japanese singer-songwriters of the twentieth century in the world of pop music. Almost half of her albums reached number one on the Japanese Oricon charts, and all of her albums reached the top 10 since her first album, Hikōki-gumo in 1973. She has sold over 37,800,000 copies of albums and singles. "NO SIDE" was made from a rugby game "Ooita Maiduru vs Tennri high school".

## Related pages

* List of J-pop artists
# Composer

A **composer** is someone who writes (composes) music. Some composers work by writing music down on paper; this is called 'written notation'. Classical music writers work this way. Writers for TV and movie music also usually write this way, so that an orchestra or other players can read the music and play it.

Some musicians are very good at improvisation. This means that they think up (invent) the music as they play it. Some church organists are good at improvising. During a service they may need to play some organ music to fill in the gaps while people are collecting money or taking communion. Jazz musicians are usually excellent at improvising. Improvisation is not written down, so each time it is different.

Popular and rock or soul music writers are often not able to read and write music down. Many pop and rock composers compose their songs on a guitar or piano. Cole Porter and Irving Berlin usually composed at the piano.

Many songs are written by two or more people. It is common for two people to work together to write songs. Sometimes, one person writes the music and one writes the words (the lyrics). Some songs such as folk songs were composed many years ago and no one knows who wrote them.

## Related pages

* Composition
# Record producer

A **record producer** (or **music producer**) is a person who takes charge of a recording session, in the same kind of way that a movie director is in charge of filming movies. Record producers help musicians and recording artists to make singles and albums. The producer controls the recording sessions, coaches and guides the musicians and supervises the recording, mixing and mastering processes to make the music finalized.

In a professional context, there are two types of music producers:

* In-House - the more common type of the two are in-house producers. They come included in a studio rental fee and they get credited in a song’s copyrights. It’s mainly for their involvement in the entire process. Studios might use producers as a way to get more people to use their services.

* Independent Music Producer - the second producer type is an independent producer. They may have gained a desirable reputation in the industry and would be directly hired by a band or artist.

## Famous record producers

* Brian Eno produced music for U2, David Bowie and Talking Heads.
* George Martin produced almost all of the music by The Beatles in the 1960s. He also worked with America, Shirley Bassey, and many other artists. He also made comedy records with Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov.
* Phil Spector was the producer for many "girl groups" in the 1960s, like the Ronettes and The Crystals. He also worked with The Righteous Brothers. Later he produced records for Ike and Tina Turner, and the Beatles' album *Let It Be*. Spector invented the idea of a "wall of sound", which was a way of producing so that every space in the recording was filled with music.
* Timbaland is a man who produced popular rap, pop and R&B music, mostly in the 2000s. He worked with people like Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Madonna and many more artistes, including the late Aaliyah.
* Todd Rundgren is not only a record producer but a singer and ...
* He produces all of his own work, and other famous albums like Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell.
# Recording Industry Association of Japan

Recording Industry Association of Japan
*Nippon Rekōdo Kyōkai*|  |
| The head office is located in Kyodo News |
| Formation | 1942 |
| Type | Technical standards, licensing and royalties |
| Headquarters | Kita-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo |
| Location | * Japan
 |
| Membership  | 19 main members, 15 associated members and 24 supporting members (all as of August 2009) |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | Masaaki Saito (Victor) |
| Website | Recording Industry Association of Japan - in English |

Naoki Kitagawa, the Chairman of RIAJ, on April 7, 2013
The **Recording Industry Association of Japan** (**RIAJ**) (日本レコード協会, *Nippon Rekōdo Kyōkai*) is a Japanese trade group in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the **Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association**. It got its current name in 1969.

The RIAJ promotes music sales, enforces the Japanese copyright, and researches the Japanese music industry. It publishes the annual *RIAJ Year Book*. This is a statistical summary of each year's music sales, plus other data.

The headquarters are in the Minato section of Tokyo, Japan. The RIAJ has twenty member companies and a smaller number of associate and supporting members. Some member companies are the Japanese branches of multinational corporations headquartered elsewhere.

The Association certifies gold and platinum albums and singles in Japan.

## Related pages

* Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
* Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC)
* American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

## Other websites

*  - Official website of RIAJ
# Japanese idol

Girl idol group Momoiro Clover Z
Girl idol group AKB48
Sayumi Michishige, a former leader of the girl group Morning Musume.
Logo of the girl idol group °C-ute
An **idol** (アイドル, *aidoru*; from the English word "idol") in the Japanese pop culture is a young media personality (a singer, an actor, a model, etc.). This is usually a teenager, who has a cute and innocent public image. Idols are a separate category of Japanese artists.

The term is commercialized by Japanese talent agents. The talent agencies hold auditions for cute boys and girls and make them stars. Idols are intended to be an ideal object of love of frenzied fans. There is also a view that the Japanese people see idols as sisters or girls next door.

Japanese idol singers work across genres of the Japanese pop music. This is usually whatever is most popular at the moment. Their songs do not require great singing skills, but the artist must be beautiful, sweet and nice to sing them. In their everyday life, idols must also match the songs they sing. They must have a perfect public image and be good examples to young people.

## History

The phenomenon appeared in the early 1970s. It was thanks to the popularity of young French actress Sylvie Vartan and the movie she played in called *Cherchez l'idole* ("Look for the Idol"). The movie came out in Japan in November 1964 under the title *Aidoru o Sagase*. The term "idol" started being used for girls, mostly between 14 and 16, who were just beginning their path to stardom or for very young new stars.

## Selective list of Japanese idol music groups

This is a selective list of Japanese idol music groups, divided by projects or talent agencies.

* AKB48
* Stardust Promotion (talent agency)
	+ Momoiro Clover Z
	+ Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku
	+ Takoyaki Rainbow
* Hello! Project (project)
	+ Morning Musume
	+ °C-ute
	+ Berryz Kobo
	+ S/mileage
	+ Juice=Juice
	+ Buono!
* Fairies
* 9nine
* Sakura Gakuin

## Other websites

* 10 Kawaii Japanese Female Idol Groups
# Centre

**Centre is the UK and Commonwealth spelling of Center (US)**

Although within the US The word "centre" often means places or buildings where an activity takes place, while "center" is a mathematical or locational mid point (center of a room). Common examples are:

* a town centre or city centre
* a shopping centre is a place with lots of shops.
* a sports centre is where people go to use sports facilities, such as squash courts, and swimming pools.
* a centre (ice hockey), the position used in ice hockey
* a Center (American football), the position used in American football
* a balanced political position.

## Places

* Centre, the former name of Centre-Val de Loire, an administrative region of France
* Centre Department, the department of Haiti
# COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

| COVID-19 pandemic in Japan |
| --- |
| Confirmed cases per million residents by prefecture |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Japan |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Arrival date | 16 January 2020 (6 years, 5 months and 3 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 16,047 |
| Active cases | 6,767 |
| Recovered | 8,920 |
| Deaths | 678 |

The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to Japan in January 2020. Numbers have been recorded in each of the 47 prefectures except for Iwate. The country has seen over 10,000 sick people.

## The beginning

The Japanese government said its first outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started on 16 January 2020. The first was a person of Kanagawa Prefecture who had come back from Wuhan, China. The second outbreak was from Europeans and Americans from 11 March to 23 March.

## Government response

The Japanese government has tried to stop the outbreak. On 30 January, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe created a national task force to help stop the outbreak.

On 27 February, Abe stopped all Japanese elementary, junior high, and high schools until early April.

On 7 April, Abe set a one-month state of emergency for Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka. On 16 April, the declaration was extended to the rest of the country.

## 2020 Olympics

The pandemic was a problem for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee tried to wait until 2021 before starting the Olympics.

## Criticism of the government response

Medical experts and the news have did not like the Japanese government's actions. They said the government was not testing many people for COVID-19. Medical experts said that the government should have used pneumonia surveillance numbers to help very sick patients.
# BNK48

| BNK48 |
| --- |
| BNK48's Orchid Color logo |
| Background information |
| Origin | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Genres | * Teen-pop
* J-pop
* Thai pop
* Bubblegum Pop
 |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | iAM |
|  |
| Members | 43 (list) |
|  |
| Past member(s) | 44 (list) |
| Website | bnk48.com |

**BNK48** (read *B.N.K. Forty-eight* or **Bangkok48**) is an Thai idol girl group and the third international sister group of Japan's AKB48, following Indonesia's JKT48 and China's SNH48.

## Sub-units

### Mimigumo

Mimigumo is the first BNK48 sub-unit group released on September 1, 2019.

### Vyra

Vyra (formerly known as Lyra) is the second BNK48 sub-unit group, consisting of 6 members. They were chosen to be trained by Universal Music Thailand and debuted on October 7, 2020. The group currently has 5 members and was renamed Vyra on March 12, 2021.

## Discography

* *River* (2018)
* *Jabaja* (2019)
* *Warota People* (2020)

* Fernquest, Jon (28 March 2016). "Thai sister group for Japan's AKB48 all-girl pop group". *bangkokpost.com*. Bangkok: Bangkok Post. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
* Lersakvanitchakul, Kitchana (31 March 2018). "Cuteness by the numbers". *nationmultimedia.com*. Bangkok: The Nation. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
* Srimaneekulroj, Kanin (22 June 2017). "Sisters are doin' it for themselves". *bangkokpost.com*. Bangkok: Bangkok Post. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

## Other websites

* Official website
# Communes of France

| Communes of France |
| --- |
|  |
| Category | Municipality |
| Location | France |
| Found in | Departments |
| Number | 34,965 (List) (as of January 2021) |
| Populations | 0 (Several) – 2,175,601 (Paris) |
| Government | Municipal Council |

A commune is the lowest administrative division in France. It represents all parts of a town or a village under the same name, for example Paris, Bordeaux or Rennes. As of January 1, 2008, there were 36,781 communes in France; 36,569 of them are in metropolitan France and 212 of them are in overseas France.

This is much more than in any other European country. Every commune in France elects a mayor. The French word *commune* was first used in the 12th century[*source?*], from Medieval Latin *communia*, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin *communis*, things held in common.[*source?*]
# Tours

Wilson bridge in Tours over the Loire River
coat of arms
**Tours** is a city on the Loire River in the centre of France. It has about 143,000 inhabitants. It is the prefecture (administrative headquarters) of the department of Indre-et-Loire and is one of the 22 French metropolis.

## Notable natives and residents

* Honoré de Balzac 1799-1850, novelist
* René Descartes 1596-1650, scientist, mathematician and philosopher

## Sister cities

* Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, since 1962
* Segovia, Spain, since 1972
* Parma, Italy, since 1976
* Luoyang, People's Republic of China, since 1982
* Springfield, USA, since 1984
* Trois-Rivières, Canada, since 1987
* Takamatsu, Japan, since 1988
* Braşov, Romania, since 1990
* Minneapolis, USA, since 1991

## Related pages

* Capital of France