Soneium, by Sony Block Solutions Labs, has teamed with IRC App (formerly known as Yoake Space) to bring Japan’s biggest idol and fashion festival to the blockchain.
IRC App is an official app for Idol Runway Collection supported by TGC (IRC). Developed by Yoake Entertainment, IRC APP transforms how fandom can be recorded, rewarded, and valued.
Yoake Entertainment, winner of Soneium Spark, is backed by Japan’s leading IP entertainment companies including Twin Planet, Asobisystem, W Tokyo, Y&N Brothers and Sony Group. The company hosts IRC, Japan’s largest idol and fashion festival, and develops IRC APP, powered by Record ($REC).
With IRC reaching over a million people through venue attendance, broadcast viewership, and media coverage, IRC APP wants to redefine fandom for the onchain age together—where fandom contribution is transparent, lasting, and creatively rewarding.
IRC 2026 marks the third annual edition of one of Japan’s fastest-growing cultural festivals, now elevated through its collaboration with Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC)—Japan’s largest and most influential fashion event.
Since its debut in 2005, TGC has hosted over 40 large-scale events, reaching a cumulative audience of more than 5 million people across in-person shows, regional tours, and nationwide livestreams. As a global gateway to Japanese fashion and youth culture, TGC provides IRC with a world-class cultural and production backbone.
Building on this massive platform, IRC achieved a historic milestone in 2025. IRC 2025 drew approximately 11,800 attendees to the National Yoyogi Gymnasium First Gymnasium. The event brought together 107 idols on a single stage in an unprecedented fusion of top-tier idol culture and high-fashion runway performance. This breakout success firmly positioned IRC as one of Japan’s largest and most influential idol & fashion hybrid festivals.
On March 15 2026, IRC will take place at the iconic Yoyogi National Gymnasium First Gymnasium for its third annual edition. Hosted by Yoake Entertainment, IRC 2026 aims to further evolve the interplay between idols, fashion, and technology. This year’s lineup features leading groups such as Nogizaka46, =Love, Fruits Zipper, Cutie Street, and Takane No Nadeshiko, reflecting the event’s cultural reach and mainstream appeal.
Combining TGC’s global fashion influence, IRC’s proven arena-scale success, and their deep roots in Japan’s idol ecosystem, IRC 2026 stands as one of the most ambitious entertainment experiences Japan has ever produced — where idol culture, fashion, and onchain fandom participation all converge.
IRC App brings fans to Japan’s largest idol festival on Soneium
Across the global entertainment landscape, fandom contribution has remained largely unmeasured and undervalued. IRC APP addresses this universal challenge by starting with J-Pop—the world’s second-largest music market according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2025. Partnering with Japan’s leading mainstream idol groups and the nation’s largest idol festival, IRC APP demonstrates how IPFi infrastructure can unlock the true economic potential of creative communities at scale.
Powered by Soneium’s infrastructure, the IRC APP creates a seamless bridge between everyday fandom activity and real-world impact at IRC. IRC APP leverages Account Abstraction (AA) to ensure the experience is immediately accessible to users unfamiliar with blockchain applications, while offering unprecedented fandom influence. The app adopts a streamlined onboarding flow utilizing social login via LINE, Google, or Apple, enabling users to begin participating immediately without the need for wallets or technical setup.
By linking an X (formerly Twitter) account, users activate “AI SNS Trends”, an AI analytics system powered by Record Protocol that evaluates publicly available supportive posts based on positivity, consistency, and contribution to the community.
Record Protocol, developed by Record, is a credibly neutral infrastructure powered by AI and blockchain that makes fandom contributions verifiable and connects them to IPFi. Fandom amplifies content, coordinates communities, and creates demand—but their contribution hasn’t been properly measured or valued. Record Protocol changes this by making fandom activity measurable and capitalizable, creating a new paradigm where passion becomes quantifiable value.
Engagement measured through this system is reflected in “IRC Score”, which is automatically claimed to users’ onchain wallets—no gas fees or transaction approvals required. Accumulated IRC Score determines a user’s “Membership” rank—Regular, Bronze, Silver, or Gold—each offering progressively enhanced benefits such as early ticket access, priority entry, and premium venue invites.
Membership rank also increases the number of voting tickets granted, enabling fans to exercise greater influence through the app’s onchain “Fan Vote” functions, which directly shape real-world elements of IRC 2026. This function was fully validated during its beta launch in January, where the campaign brought over 60,000 users onchain and demonstrated that a mainstream audience can seamlessly engage with onchain voting through an accessible, UX-first design.
Through the integration of social-native onboarding, AI-based fandom analysis, and gasless onchain engagement, Soneium provides a framework in which onchain activity translates into meaningful, verifiable impact on the event experience.
IRC Lineup | Integrated with IRC APP on Soneium
The first wave of IRC 2026 performers has been announced by YOAKE entertainment. Each participating idol group will be coming onboard on Soneium through IRC APP, enabling their fandoms to engage through AI SNS Trends and earn IRC Score. Additional artists will be revealed in the coming months.
Nogizaka46
Formed in 2011, Nogizaka46 is one of Japan’s leading female idol groups produced by Yasushi Akimoto. Known for their “clean and elegant” visual style and polished performances, the group has earned widespread support across all demographics. Beyond music, members are active as fashion magazine models, actors, and performers, continuously shaping and leading Japanese girls’ culture.
=LOVE
Produced by Rino Sashihara, =LOVE debuted in 2017. With the concept “=LOVE = I love you,” the group captivates fans through performances that combine cuteness with strong expressive ability. Their stages, built on a balance of vocals, dance, and visuals, represent a new standard for mainstream idol entertainment.
Fruits Zipper
FRUITS ZIPPER is a seven-member girl group that debuted in 2022 under the concept of “NEW KAWAII.” As a new-generation idol group from ASOBISYSTEM, they represent the essence of Harajuku culture. Their music and performances have gained explosive popularity both in Japan and internationally, especially across social media, where their catchy style continues to attract fans worldwide.
CUTIE STREET
CUTIE STREET is an eight-member idol group that debuted in August 2024 from ASOBISYSTEM’s “KAWAII LAB.” project. The members—Risa Furusawa, Aika Sano, Kana Itakura, Ayano Masuda, Emiru Kawamoto, Miyu Umeda, Nagisa Manabe, and Haruka Sakuraba—each bring unique backgrounds and personalities. With the group concept of “KAWAII MAKER,” they aim to create and deliver their own style of “KAWAII” from Harajuku to the world.
Takane No Nadeshiko
Formed in August 2022, TAKANE NO NADESHIKO is produced by HoneyWorks, the creator unit known for generating over 2.5 billion total views across platforms such as Niconico and YouTube. The group aspires to embody both the elegance admired like a “flower out of reach” and the pure, traditional beauty associated with the Japanese “Yamato Nadeshiko,” aiming to become a proud representation of Japanese idol culture.
Additional artists will be announced in the coming months. All participating idols will be integrated into AI SNS Trends within the IRC APP, enabling their fandoms to earn IRC Score through everyday social activity on X (formerly Twitter). Positive and supportive posts about supported artists automatically become eligible for IRC Score calculation.
Through AI SNS Trends, fandom contributions are evaluated and converted into IRC Scores—claimed onchain without gas fees or blockchain knowledge required. This seamless integration transforms everyday social engagement into measurable influence at IRC 2026.
Special Fan Vote Campaign on IRC APP | Opening Act Audition
As part of IRC 2026’s commitment to building the stage together with its fandom, the IRC APP will host the Opening Act Audition, a special campaign inviting you to submit the idols you wish to see perform as the opening act at IRC 2026.
During the submission period, you can nominate your preferred idols through the official form. Selected nominees will be featured in AI SNS Trends, enabling their fandoms to earn IRC Score through everyday social activity. Based on accumulated IRC Score and Membership rank, fans will receive voting tickets to help determine which idols will appear on stage at IRC 2026.
- Submission Period: November 28, 2025 (Fri) 17:00 – December 13, 2025 (Sat) 23:59 JST
- Voting Period: Scheduled for January 2026
Additional details will be shared through official social channels. IRC APP invites all fandom and industry partners to help shape the opening stage of IRC 2026.
Submit your nomination here. This collaboration represents the largest real-world fandom integration ever built on Soneium—bringing together Japan’s most influential idol groups, a nationwide fanbase, and an onchain engagement layer for the first time.