2010 was an interesting year for the Japanese music industry, as they were introduced to two of Korea's hottest girl groups - SNSD (a.k.a. 'Shoujo Jidai') and KARA. Although they already had support from their Japanese fanbase, these girls managed to win the hearts of general music fans; they not only placed highly on the charts, but they also walked away with a distinguished award each from the�Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). At the "25th Japan Gold Disc Awards",�KARA and SNSD were named as Japan's "New Artist of the Year" - KARA received the 'International' award, and SNSD attained the 'Domestic' award. The "Japan Gold Disc Awards" was first launched�in 1987 to recognize outstanding artists (and works) that have contributed to the Japanese recording industry. Awards are based on the actual sales number, and 2010's winners utilized data from January 1st ~ October 31st. Congratulations, ladies! Source + Photo: Oricon style