MJ THE MICHAEL JACKSON MUSICAL is heading to Asia, with Japan confirmed as the starting point of a major international tour in January 2027.
The four-time Tony Award-winning production will launch its International Asian Tour at Tokyo’s Tokyu Theatre Orb in January 2027. The Tokyo season will be presented by Kinoshita Group together with the John Gore Organization and Kumiko Yoshii.
The announcement marks another major step in the global journey of the production, which has already been seen by more than 8 million audience members worldwide across Broadway, London’s West End, Hamburg, the U.S. National Tour and sold-out seasons in Australia.
Now, the story of Michael Jackson’s music and career is set to reach audiences across Asia, with Tokyo serving as the launch point for the new international tour.
The Asian production will bring together a world-class company of performers, musicians, creatives and crew from across the international MJ family, reflecting the scale of the production and its success around the world.
Returning to Japan
There is perhaps no more fitting place to begin the Asian tour than Japan.
Michael Jackson had a long-standing relationship with Japanese audiences, and the musical’s Tokyo arrival comes more than three decades after one of the most memorable chapters in that relationship.
The production is set against the backdrop of Michael’s Dangerous World Tour, while its arrival in Tokyo comes after Jackson himself performed an historic eight-concert run at Tokyo Dome during the 1990s.
More than 30 years later, MJ THE MUSICAL will bring audiences back to that era, exploring the story behind one of the defining periods of Michael’s career and celebrating the music and artistry that made him a global phenomenon.
Michael’s connection with Japan has continued through the generations, with his music remaining hugely popular among Japanese fans. More recently, the success of the record-breaking Michael biopic has introduced his story to a new generation of audiences across the country.
“A different kind of electricity”
Director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon OBE is also looking forward to returning to Tokyo.
Wheeldon previously brought An American in Paris to Tokyu Theatre Orb and says returning to the venue with MJ feels like coming home.
“Japan has given me thirty years of extraordinary experiences creating and performing in the ballet and musical theatre, so returning to the Orb — where we brought An American in Paris, feels like coming home. MJ is a different kind of electricity, and I can’t wait for Japanese audiences to feel it. Full velocity from this incredible cast. See you in January.”
The Tokyo engagement will officially launch what promises to be a major new chapter for MJ THE MICHAEL JACKSON MUSICAL, with the International Asian Tour taking the production to a new part of the world.
And with the show already having welcomed millions of fans across several continents, it seems Michael Jackson’s music is ready to be Startin’ Somethin’ all over again, this time in Asia. For more information, sign up HERE.
