List of best-selling singles in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

has the second largest music market in the world. 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

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

. 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.

Best-selling singles in Japan

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

certified that Masato Shimon

Masato Shimon

is a retired Japanese vocalist from Meguro, Tokyo. He is most known for his contributions to the theme songs of various anime and tokusatsu series. In his career, he has sung under the names and . "Masato Shimon" is also his recording name, as he was born with the name...

's Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun

Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun

is a song by Japanese singer Masato Shimon, released by Canyon Records on December 25, 1975. The B-side "Ippon Demo Ninjin" was sung by Japanese folk singer Kenichi Nagira. However, the label claimed that the song was a children's song because the song was used in Japanese child television program...

is the best-selling single in Japan.

There were several singles which achieved worldwide success. Shoukichi Kina

Shoukichi Kina

, born June 10, 1948 in Koza , Okinawa, is an Okinawan rock musician who, along with his band Champloose, played a large role in the Japanese home-grown "folk rock" scene in the 70s and 80s. His first big hit was "Haisai Ojisan" in 1972, which he wrote when he was in high school...

's Subete No Hito No Kokoro Ni Hana Wo sold estimate 30 million copies over worldwide. Kyu Sakamoto

Kyu Sakamoto

was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...

's Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki (song)

The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart)....

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

Flavor of Life

"Flavor of Life" is Hikaru Utada's 18th Japanese single . The physical single was officially released on February 28, 2007.Compared to the preceding singles following Colors, Flavor of Life garnered far more success...

sold over 7.7 million combined sales. GReeeeN

GReeeeN

is a Japanese pop/rock/hip hop/breakbeat vocal group from Kōriyama city in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members Hide, Navi, 92, and Soh. They made their debut with Universal Music in 2007. Their logo image is of a mouthful of teeth, and the four Es indicate the number of members...

's Ai Uta sold 5 million digital download singles. However, those included the sales of non full-track digital download singles. Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records

certified that Thelma Aoyama

Thelma Aoyama

, born October 27, 1987, is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinidadian and Japanese.She is probably best known for her collaboration song with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo", and her answer song "Soba ni Iru ne"...

's Soba ni Iru ne

Soba ni Iru ne

is Thelma Aoyama's second official single, released on January 23, 2008, featuring SoulJa. It is an answer song to her previous collaboration with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo." B-side "My dear friend" was used as the ending theme to anime Shion no Ō, and the opening theme to television show...

is the best-selling full-track digital download single in Japan with over two million copies.

Machiko Soga

Machiko Soga

was a Japanese voice actress and actress.- Life and career :Machiko had humble upbringings and was raised to be a singer, though her talents were with acting. She was “discovered” after doing a play in Tokyo Center...

's Oba-Q Ondo sold estimate 2 million single and 4 million sonosheet

Flexi disc

The flexi disc is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable...

in Japan. However, a sonosheet was not a regular 7" Single.

Yujiro Ishihara

Yujiro Ishihara

was a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, is an author, politician, and the current Governor of Tokyo. Yujiro debuted in 1956 in "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother...

& Shunko Makimura's Ginza No Koi No Monogatari (1961) sold estimate 3.35 million copies in Japan. Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars's Ozashiki Kouta (1964) sold estimate 3 million copies in Japan. Yuzo Kayama

Yuzo Kayama

is a Japanese popular musician and film star, born on 11 April 1937. His father, Ken Uehara, was a film star during the 1930s. Yuzo Kayama became a big star in the 1960s in the Wakadaishō film series....

's Kimi To Itsumademo (1965) sold estimate 3 million copies in Japan. However, those were released before 1968 in Japan.

List of best-selling singles in Japan 1968-2006

Rank	Year	Sales	Chart Peak	Title	Artist
1	1975	4.547m	1 (11 weeks)	"Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun is a song by Japanese singer Masato Shimon, released by Canyon Records on December 25, 1975. The B-side "Ippon Demo Ninjin" was sung by Japanese folk singer Kenichi Nagira. However, the label claimed that the song was a children's song because the song was used in Japanese child television program... "	Masato Shimon Masato Shimon is a retired Japanese vocalist from Meguro, Tokyo. He is most known for his contributions to the theme songs of various anime and tokusatsu series. In his career, he has sung under the names and . "Masato Shimon" is also his recording name, as he was born with the name...
2	1972	3.256m	1 (16 weeks)	"Onna no Michi Onna no Michi is the debut single by Shiro Miya and the Pinkara Trio released on May 10, 1972, in Japan. The lyrics are simple, but sad. The song is written about a woman who devoted herself to her only man but was deserted by him and was crying... "	Shiro Miya Shiro Miya is a Japanese enka singer, lyricist and composer. His band Shiro Miya and the Pinkara Trio's 1972 song "Onna no Michi", became the second best-selling single in Japanese Oricon charts history, selling over 3.25 million copies.- Life and career :...
3	2000	2.934m	1 (5 weeks)	"Tsunami Tsunami (Southern All Stars song) "Tsunami" is a song by the Southern All Stars, released as their forty-fourth single on January 26, 2000.-Overview:The song was the first number-one single for Southern All Stars since the 1996 single Ai no Kotodama on the Oricon weekly charts. The band used the style of hard rock on the previous... "	Southern All Stars Southern All Stars , also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...
4	1999	2.918m	1 (3 weeks)	"Dango 3 Kyodai Dango 3 Kyodai is a Japanese song released on March 3, 1999. The song caused a social phenomenon in Japan. On the Japanese Oricon weekly single charts, it debuted at the number-one position with the sales of over one million copies. It was considered that the song might surpass the record of "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun".... "	Kentarou Hayami, Ayumi Shigemori Ayumi Shigemori is a Japanese actress and pop star. She sang on the major J-pop hit "Dango 3 Kyodai".-External links:... , Himawari Kids, Dango Gasshoudan
5	1992	2.895m	1 (6 weeks)	"Kimi ga Iru Dake de Kimi ga Iru Dake de Kimi ga Iru Dake de is a Japanese song by Kome Kome Club released on May 4, 1992. On the Japanese Oricon chart, it sold 924,780 copies in one week and debuted at the number-one position. It held the top rank in total of six weeks... "	Kome Kome Club Kome Kome Club is a Japanese pop band formed in 1982. It is widely recognized as the only Japanese pop musical group which achieved commercial success by blending funk, soul and Latin musical styles. They also use the style of rakugo.-1982–1997: Commercial success:...
6	1991	2.822m	1 (13 weeks)	"Say Yes Say Yes (Chage and Aska song) "Say Yes" is a Japanese single by Chage and Aska, released by Pony Canyon on July 24, 1991. The song was used as a theme of Japanese television drama 101 kaime no Propose. It was regarded as a wedding-song.... "	Chage & Aska Chage and Aska or Chage and Asuka are a Japanese popular music duo composed of two singer-songwriters from Fukuoka Prefecture, and . To date they have sold over 31 million albums and singles in Japan....
7	1994	2.766m	1 (3 weeks)	"Tomorrow Never Knows Tomorrow Never Knows (Mr. Children song) "Tomorrow Never Knows" is the sixth single released by Mr. Children on November 10, 1994. The single sold 2.766 million copies and is the seventh highest-selling single in Japan in the Oricon history.-Overview:... "	Mr. Children Mr. Children , commonly called , is a Japanese rock band formed in 1988 by Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki. As a group, they are one of the most successful Japanese rock artists, having sold over 50 million records and creating the in the mid 1990s in Japan...
8	1991	2.587m	1 (7 weeks)	"Oh! Yeah!" / "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni"	Kazumasa Oda Kazumasa Oda is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer and is also known as the leader of the folk rock band Off Course.As a vocalist and leader of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 70s and 80s. He and Yasuhiro Suzuki were important composers in the band...
9	2003	2.573m	1 (7 weeks)	"Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana"	SMAP SMAP SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
10	1995	2.488m	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, but few have come from foreign artists. From 1968 through 2006, only three singles by Western musicians have become million sellers.

Rank	Year	Sales	Chart Peak	Title	Artist
1	1976	1.924.000	1	"Beautiful Sunday"/"Sleepy Head"	Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (singer) Daniel Boone is an English pop musician who became a one-hit wonder in the U.S. with the single "Beautiful Sunday" in 1972. The song was written by Boone and Rod McQueen and racked up millions in singles sales worldwide. It peaked at No...
2	1994 (reissue 1996, 2000)	1.256.000	2	"All I Want for Christmas Is You"	Mariah Carey Mariah Carey Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
3	1995	1.141.160	1	"To Love You More To Love You More "To Love You More" is a single by Céline Dion, released in Japan on October 23, 1995.It was recorded for a popular Japanese TV drama series, called Koibito Yo , and included on The Colour of My Love album re-release in Japan... "	Celine Dion Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
4	1992	810.080	5	"I Will Always Love You I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:... "	Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
5	1968	810.000	1	"The Sound of Silence The Sound of Silence "The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become... "	Simon and Garfunkel Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
6	1970	750.000	1	"Otoko no Sekai (Mandom: The Lovers of the World)"	Jerry Wallace Jerry Wallace Jerry Wallace was an American country and pop singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the #8 "Primrose Lane." He made his debut on the country music charts in 1965, entering it thirty-five times between then and 1980. In that timespan, Wallace...
7	1983	750.000	1	"Flashdance... What a Feeling"	Irene Cara Irene Cara Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...
8	1980	673.850	1	"I'm In the Mood for Dancing I'm In the Mood for Dancing "I'm In the Mood for Dancing" is a single by pop group, The Nolan Sisters. Originally released in November 1979, the song became a top three hit in the UK in February 1980. The song, a cross between pure pop and disco, has since become synonymous with the group and remains their biggest hit... "	The Nolans The Nolans The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom...
9	1971	0.67m	1	"Ani Holem Al Naomi" [Japanese Lyric Ver.]	Hedva and David
10	1984 (reissue 1991)	0.67m	12	"Last Christmas Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo... "	Wham! WHAM! Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
11	1997	0.63m	1	"Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight Candle in the Wind 1997 "Candle in the Wind 1997" is a rewritten and rerecorded version of Elton John's own 1973 hit "Candle in the Wind" that was released as a tribute single to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.... "	Elton John Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
12	1973	0.592m	5	"Yesterday Once More Yesterday Once More (song) "Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a... "	The Carpenters The Carpenters Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
13	1977	0.568m	2	"Sky High Sky High (song) "Sky High" is the name of a 1975 single by British pop music group, Jigsaw. The song, the main title theme to the film entitled The Man from Hong Kong, was a world-wide hit in the latter part of 1975, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and #9 in the UK Singles Chart.Two... "	Jigsaw Jigsaw (band) Jigsaw were an English pop music group, fronted by the singer-songwriter duo of Clive Scott and Des Dyer. In Australia the group was called "British Jigsaw" due to the existence of a local band of the same name.-Overview:...
14	1970	0.558m	6	"Let It Be Let It Be (song) "Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band... "	The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
15	1997	0.555m	2	"Venus"	Shocking Blue Shocking Blue Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band from The Hague, the Netherlands, formed in 1967. Their biggest hit, "Venus", went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970, and the band had sold 13.5 million discs by 1973, but the group disbanded in 1974.-Members:...
16	1976 (reissue 1996)	0.542m	5	"I Need to be in Love" / "Top of the World Top of the World (The Carpenters song) "Top of the World" is the name of a 1972 song by The Carpenters. Originally recorded for and released on the duo's 1972 studio album A Song for You, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in late 1973, becoming the duo's second U.S. number-one single... " (double A-Side on reissued single)"	The Carpenters
17	1991	0.518m	3	"Welcome to the Edge"	Billie Hughes
17	1968	0.517m	1	"Massachusetts Massachusetts (Bee Gees song) "Massachusetts" is a song written, recorded, and released by the Bee Gees in 1967 and later appearing on their 1968 album, Horizontal. It was their first Number 1 hit in the UK and eventually became one of the best selling singles of all times.... "	Bee Gees Bee Gees The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
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 Salvatore Adamo Salvatore, Knight Adamo, simply known as Adamo is a Belgian – Italian composer and singer of ballads, mainly in French, but also in other languages such as German, Italian and Spanish. He had commercial success during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, but...
21	1976	0.473m	11	"Jolene Jolene (song) "Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene , produced by Bob Ferguson. It is ranked #217 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-History:... "	Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
22	1977	0.471m	2	"The Stranger The Stranger (song) "The Stranger" is a song by rock artist Billy Joel from his 1977 album of the same name, The Stranger. The song was released as a single in Japan where it became very popular and peaked at #2 on the Oricon chart... "	Billy Joel Billy Joel William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
23	1968	0.467m	1	"Those Were the Days Those Were the Days (song) "Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" , written by Boris Fomin with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism... "	Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
24	1990	0.465m	4	"If We Hold on Together"	Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
25	1970	0.458m	7	"Mister Monday"	Original Caste Original Caste The Original Caste is a Canadian folk-pop group. Its style is characterized by rich tight vocals and a clean sound; the group was compared to The Carpenters, The Mamas & the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver and Peter, Paul and Mary. The band formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1966 under the...
26	1970	0.454m	3	"Melody Fair"	Bee Gees
27	1976	0.436m	6	"Take Me Home, Country Roads Take Me Home, Country Roads "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is a song written by John Denver, Taffy Nivert, and Bill Danoff and initially recorded by John Denver. It was included on his 1971 breakout album Poems, Prayers and Promises; the single went to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100... "	Olivia Newton-John
28	1971	0.424m	2	"Mammy Blue"	The Pop-Tops
29	1968 (reissue 1980)	0.421m	2	"Daydream Believer Daydream Believer "Daydream Believer" is a song composed by John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. The song was originally recorded by The Monkees, with Davy Jones singing lead vocals. The single hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four... "	The Monkees The Monkees The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
30	1976	0.416m	7	"Soul Dracula"	Hot Blood

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