List of best-selling singles in Japan
Japan has the second largest music market in the world.[1] In 1962, Tokushin music reports was founded and became the leading provider of music sales in Japan. However their reports and charts are only available to industry insiders and are not available to the general public. In 1968 Original Confidence was established and began providing music charts to the general public with data collected from various retailers throughout Japan.
This is the list of 100 best-selling singles, based on the data by Oricon. This list doesn't include singles that were released before 1968, and is only from data collected from Oricons retail partners and not the record companies.
Contents
Best-selling physical singles in Japan
Guinness World Records certified that Masato Shimon's "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" is the best-selling single in Japan.[2]
There were several singles which achieved worldwide success. Shoukichi Kina's "Subete No Hito No Kokoro Ni Hana Wo" sold estimate 30 million copies over worldwide. Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" sold estimate 13 million copies over worldwide. However, those were worldwide sales.
There were many non full-track digital download singles in Japan. Hikaru Utada's "Flavor of Life" sold over 7.7 million combined sales.[3] GReeeeN's "Ai Uta" sold 5 million digital download singles.[4] However, those included the sales of non full-track digital download singles. Guinness World Records certified that Thelma Aoyama's "Soba ni Iru ne" is the best-selling full-track digital download single in Japan with over 8 million copies.[5]
Machiko Soga's "Oba-Q Ondo" sold estimate 2 million single and 4 million sonosheet in Japan.[6] However, a sonosheet was not a regular 7" single.
Yujiro Ishihara & Shunko Makimura's "Ginza No Koi No Monogatari" (1961) sold estimate 3.35 million copies in Japan.[7] Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars's "Ozashiki Kouta" (1964) sold estimate 3 million copies in Japan.[8] Yuzo Kayama's "Kimi to Itsumademo" (1965) sold estimate 3 million copies in Japan.[9] However, those were released before 1968 in Japan.
List of best-selling singles in Japan 1968-2006
Based on the list published by Oricon in 2008.[10]
Rank | Year | Sales | Chart Peak | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1975 | 4.536m | 1 (11 weeks) | "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" | Masato Shimon |
2 | 1972 | 3.256m | 1 (16 weeks) | "Onna no Michi" | Shiro Miya |
3 | 2000 | 2.935m | 1 (5 weeks) | "Tsunami" | Southern All Stars |
4 | 1999 | 2.918m | 1 (3 weeks) | "Dango 3 Kyodai" | Kentarou Hayami, Ayumi Shigemori, Himawari Kids, Dango Gasshoudan |
5 | 1992 | 2.895m | 1 (6 weeks) | "Kimi ga Iru Dake de" | Kome Kome Club |
6 | 1991 | 2.822m | 1 (13 weeks) | "Say Yes" | Chage & Aska |
7 | 1994 | 2.766m | 1 (3 weeks) | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | Mr. Children |
8 | 1991 | 2.588m | 1 (7 weeks) | "Oh! Yeah!" / "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" | Kazumasa Oda |
9 | 2003 | 2.578m | 1 (7 weeks) | "Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana" | SMAP |
10 | 1995 | 2.489m | 1 (1 week) | "Love Love Love/Arashi ga Kuru" | Dreams Come True |
List of best-selling international singles in Japan 1968-2006
Japan has more million-selling singles than any other country,[citation needed] but few have come from foreign artists. From 1968 through 2006, only three singles by Western musicians have become million sellers.
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Rank | Year | Sales | Chart Peak | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1976 | 1.924.000 | 1 | "Beautiful Sunday / Sleepy Head" | Daniel Boone |
2 | 1995 | 1.500.000[11][12] | 1 | "To Love You More" | Celine Dion |
3 | 1994 | 1.241.160 | 2 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Mariah Carey |
4 | 1992 | 1,010.080 | 5 | "I Will Always Love You" | Whitney Houston |
5 | 1968 | 810.000 | 1 | "The Sound of Silence" | Simon and Garfunkel |
6 | 1970 | 750.000 | 1 | "Otoko no Sekai (Mandom: The Lovers of the World)" | Jerry Wallace |
7 | 1983 | 750.000 | 1 | "Flashdance... What a Feeling" | Irene Cara |
8 | 1980 | 673.850 | 1 | "I'm In the Mood for Dancing" | The Nolans |
9 | 1971 | 0.67m | 1 | "Ani Holem Al Naomi" [Japanese Lyric Ver.] | Hedva and David |
10 | 1984 (reissue 1991) |
0.67m | 12 | "Last Christmas" | Wham! |
11 | 1997 | 0.63m | 1 | "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | Elton John |
12 | 1973 | 0.592m | 5 | "Yesterday Once More" | The Carpenters |
13 | 1977 | 0.568m | 2 | "Sky High" | Jigsaw |
14 | 1970 | 0.558m | 6 | "Let It Be" | The Beatles |
15 | 1997 | 0.555m | 2 | "Venus" | Shocking Blue |
16 | 1976 (reissue 1996) |
0.542m | 5 | "I Need to be in Love" / "Top of the World" (double A-Side on reissued single)" | The Carpenters |
17 | 1991 | 0.518m | 3 | "Welcome to the Edge" | Billie Hughes |
18 | 1968 | 0.517m | 1 | "Massachusetts" | Bee Gees |
19 | 1971 | 0.505m | 2 | "Never Marry a Railroad Man" | Shocking Blue |
20 | 1971 | 0.475m | 5 | "Tombe La Neige" [Japanese Lyric ver.] | Salvatore Adamo |
21 | 1976 | 0.473m | 11 | "Jolene" | Olivia Newton-John |
22 | 1977 | 0.471m | 2 | "The Stranger" | Billy Joel |
23 | 1968 | 0.467m | 1 | "Those Were the Days" | Mary Hopkin |
24 | 1990 | 0.465m | 4 | "If We Hold on Together" | Diana Ross |
25 | 1970 | 0.458m | 7 | "Mister Monday" | Original Caste |
26 | 1970 | 0.454m | 3 | "Melody Fair" | Bee Gees |
27 | 1976 | 0.436m | 6 | "Take Me Home, Country Roads" | Olivia Newton-John |
28 | 1971 | 0.424m | 2 | "Mamy Blue" | Pop-Tops |
29 | 1968 (reissue 1980) |
0.421m | 2 | "Daydream Believer" | The Monkees |
30 | 1976 | 0.416m | 7 | "Soul Dracula" | Hot Blood |
Best-selling multi-format singles in Japan
With over 9.2 million combined sales, Thelma Aoyama's "Soba ni Iru ne" is the best-selling multi-format single in Japan.[13]
Over 5 million copies
Year | Song | Artist | Detailed Sales | Total Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physical | Single Track | Chaku-uta | ||||
2008 | "Soba ni Iru ne" | Thelma Aoyama feat. SoulJa | 550,000[13] | 8,700,000[13] | 9,250,000 | |
2007 | "Flavor of Life" | Hikaru Utada | 651,000[14] | 8,000,000[15] | 8,651,000 | |
2008 | "Kiseki" | Greeeen | 558,000[14] | 6,200,000[16] | 6,758,000 | |
2007 | "Ai Uta" | Greeeen | 300,000[17] | 5,000,000[17] | 5,300,000 |
Over 4 million copies
Year | Song | Artist | Detailed Sales | Total Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physical | Single Track | Chaku-uta | ||||
2003 | "Dragostea din tei" | O-Zone | — | 350,000[18] | 4,000,000[18] | 4,350,000 |
Over 3 million copies
Year | Song | Artist | Detailed Sales | Total Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physical | Single Track | Chaku-uta | ||||
2007 | "Winding Road" | Ayaka and Kobukuro | 359,000[14] | 1,000,000[19] | 2,000,000[20] | 3,359,000 |
2006 | "Mikazuki" | Ayaka | 243,000[14] | 2,000,000[19] | 1,000,000[21] | 3,243,000 |
2010 | "Heavy Rotation" | AKB48 | 880,761[14] | 1,500,000[22] | 750,000[23] | 3,130,761 |
1997 | "Can You Celebrate?" | Namie Amuro | 2,750,220[upper-alpha 1][14] | 250,000[19] | — | 3,000,220 |
Note:
- ↑ Combined sales from 8 cm and 12 cm CD releases.
Over 2 million copies
Year | Song | Artist | Detailed Sales | Total Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physical | Single Track | Chaku-uta | ||||
2011 | "Flying Get" | AKB48 | 1,625,849[24] | 1,000,000[19] | — | 2,625,849 |
2011 | "Everyday, Katyusha" | AKB48 | 1,608,299[25] | 1,000,000[19] | — | 2,608,299 |
2000 | "Everything" | Misia | 2,000,000[26] | 500,000[27] | — | 2,500,000 |
2009 | "Mister" | KARA | 144,856[28] | 1,250,000[22][29] | 1,000,000[30] | 2,394,856 |
2013 | "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie" | AKB48 | 1,533,955[31] | 1,000,000[32] | — | 2,533,955 |
2006 | "Koi no Tsubomi" | Kumi Koda | 273,000[14] | 250,000[18] | 2,000,000[18] | 2,523,000 |
2007 | "Tsubomi" | Kobukuro | 507,000[14] | 2,000,000[19] | — | 2,507,000 |
2009 | "Ichibu to Zenbu" | B'z | 380,000[14] | 1,000,000[23] | 1,000,000[23] | 2,380,000 |
2006 | "Good-bye Days" | Yui | 242,000[14] | 1,100,000[33][34] | 1,000,000[35] | 2,342,000 |
2010 | "Aitakute Aitakute" | Kana Nishino | 97,000[14] | 1,100,000[36][37] | 1,000,000[38] | 2,197,000 |
2008 | "Prisoner of Love" | Hikaru Utada | 82,000[14] | 1,100,000[39][40] | 1,000,000[35] | 2,182,000 |
1998 | "Automatic/Time will tell" | Hikaru Utada | 2,063,000[41] | 100,000[42] | — | 2,163,000 |
2011 | "Love Story" | Namie Amuro | 162,000[14] | 1,000,000[19] | 1,000,000[43] | 2,162,000 |
2010 | "Kimi tte" | Kana Nishino | 98,000[14] | 1,000,000[19] | 1,000,000[29] | 2,098,000 |
2012 | "Manatsu no Sounds Good" | AKB48 | 1,822,220[44] | 250,000[19] | — | 2,072,220 |
2010 | "Best Friend" | Kana Nishino | 71,000[14] | 1,100,000[19] | 1,000,000[45] | 2,071,000 |
2013 | "Sayonara Crawl" | AKB48 | 1,955,800[46] | 100,000[19] | — | 2,055,800 |
2010 | "Beginner" | AKB48 | 1,039,352[47] | 1,000,000[19] | 2,039,352 | |
2006 | "I Believe" | Ayaka | 276,000[14] | 750,000[19] | 1,000,000[18] | 2,026,000 |
Best-selling singles by year
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Year | Title | Artist | Sales | Chart Peak | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | "Real Face" | KAT-TUN | 1,038,923 | 1 | [48] |
2007 | "Sen no Kaze ni Natte" | Masafumi Akikawa | 1,115,499 | 1 | [49] |
2008 | "Truth/Kaze no Mukō e" | Arashi | 618,229 | 1 | [50] |
2009 | "Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei" | Arashi,Kenta Yano starring Satoshi Ohno | 656,676 | 1 | [51] |
2010 | "Beginner" | AKB48 | 954,283 | 1 | [52] |
2011 | "Flying Get" | AKB48 | 1,587,229 | 1 | [53] |
2012 | "Manatsu no Sounds Good!" | AKB48 | 1,820,056 | 1 | [54] |
2013 | "Sayonara Crawl" | AKB48 | 1,955,162 | 1 | [55] |
2014 | "Labrador Retriever" | AKB48 | 1,786,825 | 1 | [56] |
2015 | "Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai" | AKB48 | 1,782,707 | 1 | [57] |
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/Recorded-music-sales-2007.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Sports Hochi, March 31, 2008.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ (Japanese) "音頭大百科", Small Light
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Daily Sports (October 2, 2006) (in Japanese)
- ↑ amazon.co.jp (in Japanese)
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- ↑ http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/chart/w140228.html
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