Ambassador Marty Friedman

Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, who has been a resident of Japan since about 2000, was recently named by Japan’s Agency of Cultural Affairs to be one of seven new Heritage Ambassadors whose job it is to promote Japanese culture abroad and “spur visits to regional cities [in Japan] ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.”  

Photo: Paul A. Hebert / Invision / AP
NAMM Jam, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.

Another ambassador is J-pop superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Friedman quit Megadeth suddenly in 1999 and moved to Japan with a love for J-pop. Fluent in Japanese, he soon became a very popular TV personality, and has since appeared on more than 700 television shows, commercials and even movies.

In various interviews, Friedman has talked at length about how when he realized he enjoyed J-pop much more than the music Megadeth was playing, he decided to pursue it.