In 1974, Teng entered the Japanese market, two years after Japan severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan. She was extremely popular in Japan throughout the 1970s and 1980s, having lived off her royalties in the country after semi-retiring in the late '80s. During this tenure, Teng recorded and performed Japanese pop songs, often termed as Kayokyoku by Japanese media, and helped connect Japan to much of Far East, particularly Taiwan, China, and some of Southeast Asia, helping bridge the gap between them, many of which were later translated in Mandarin, as reported by Nippon.com and Billboard.