X JAPAN

WORLD RENOWNED MUSIC ARTIST, YOSHIKI, MAKES DEBUT PANEL APPEARANCE AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

TWO WINNERS AND THEIR GUESTS WILL WIN TICKETS TO X JAPAN’S NEW YORK CONCERT

New York, NY – October 6, 2010 – X Japan founder and world renowned music artist, Yoshiki, will appear at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 6:30 – 7:30pm (Jacob J. Javits Center, room #1A08). New York Comic Con registered attendees and fans will be the first to hear the special joint announcement by Yoshiki and Stan Lee, and will then have the opportunity to win the exclusive 2-pair ticket give-away for X Japan’s first-ever New York concert on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Roseland Ballroom.

This year has been full of many firsts for Yoshiki and X Japan. These firsts include:

X Japan’s first North American Tour; The first-time ever for Yoshiki at New York Comic Con; Yoshiki’s first-time ever working with comic book legend, Stan Lee; The launch of The Yoshiki Foundation America; The first-time ever that X Japan performed at Lollapalooza. 2011 promises to be another year of firsts with the release of X Japan’s debut North American album with lyrics sung in English.

“X Japan and I are so fortunate to have fans around the world that appreciate and enjoy our music. The love that we get from our fans is what makes our adrenalin pump and want to create more music. It’s a fantastic cycle,” said Yoshiki.

Calling X Japan the most successful rock band in Japan is not a statement made lightly. X Japan has sold more than 30-million albums, singles and videos, headlined and sold out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times – so far – and played to tens of thousands of fans outside of Japan. Going back to the 1980s, the band’s look and sound sparked a global interest in Japanese entertainment, especially with the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon, “Visual-Kei,” a movement X Japan pioneered that went on to become a catalyst for today’s worldwide Anime craze.

Yoshiki, the band’s leader/songwriter/drummer and classically-trained pianist, has been referred to by his first name only throughout his professional career, and is arguably Asia’s most influential musical artist and biggest rock icon. According to one industry insider, “Yoshiki is to Japan what Bono is to the UK.”

The members of X Japan – Yoshiki, Toshi (vocals), Pata (guitarist), Heath (bass), and Sugizo (guitar) – have been spending time in Yoshiki’s Los Angeles recording studio working on what will be the band’s U.S. debut, and its first album sung in English. “We decided to record English lyrics for four or five of our most popular, previously released songs,” Yoshiki explained, “and then write an additional four or five brand new songs, also sung in English. We have worked very hard on this album, and are very excited to present our music to the American rock fans.”

Yoshiki remains active in the J-Rock music industry as producer for influential Japanese bands including Glay and Dir En Grey, promoter of the J-Rock Revolution festival held in Los Angeles in 2007 and performer in the J-Rock supergroup S.K.I.N. Most recently, he has also contributed music for several movies including Catacombs, Saw IV and Repo! The Genetic Opera and is appearing at New York Comic Con, where he and Stan Lee will be making a joint announcement on October 10, 2010.