All-Japan Band Association

This competition has largely promoted the concert band idiom (called buraban in Japanese), but in recent years, AJBA has also included separate entries for marching band, and smaller chamber music ensembles within its national competition.

The renowned Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra is usually hired to make the definitive premier recordings of the required pieces commissioned each year for AJBA's national competition.

The final (national) stage of the competition is regularly held in Fumon Hall, an auditorium located on the campus of the Rissho Kosei Kai religious organization in central Tokyo.

While these do not exceed the AJBA competition in terms of the number of competitors, they may be larger in terms of the number of individual entrants, operating budgets, or fans (as these contests involve popular music, are marketed internationally, and enjoy a much higher global profile).

The following chart displays a breakdown of competing wind bands in terms of region and category: 1 October 2010 statistics Since the average Japanese wind band has around 45 to 55 members, the total national figure probably exceeds 800,000 contestants in any given year, and according to the most recent figures (2010) may even exceed 1 million.