With most jpop all you have to do is look all kawaii in front of the camera to sell a record. Most of these people who claim to love jpop can't overstand Japanese fluently. American music can be pretty bad too but the oldies are good. Just because a singer has the same music title doesn't mean that they copied. It is all about the lyrics and instrumental that should cause suspicion. Lady Gaga is not a singer at all but a marketeer. As for Hamasaki Ayumi, her 1st 2 albums were phenomenal to me, afterwards I began to feel selective. The way she carried herself made her seem like a gentle young woman then too. I didn't see gimmicks in her music videos like i do now. Something changed her, probably money. Also, Hamasaki Ayumi is a Madonna imitator she recycles her trends, ever seen the copycat ayu forums and videos? Many Japanese musicians steal ideas from America and recycle it. Back when I was a jpop junkie in 2006-2007 I was too blind to see it. Artist like Namie Amuro plagiarized till its not funny. People who are into all that fashion utilizes external things to create an identity for themselves. Do you remember any of the music released last year?...i guess u don't.