back number’s “to new lovers” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Sept. 18, scoring its second week atop the tally.
The theme song of the drama series Umi no Hajimari (“beginning of the sea”) was released digitally on July 15 and hit No. 1 on the chart dated July 24 after topping downloads (24,432 units) and radio airplay and coming in at No. 4 for streaming (7,532,578 weekly streams). The veteran three-man band’s latest hit gradually slipped 5-7-8-9-14-16 on the list, then returned to the top ten last week at No. 7. The CD single dropped Sept. 11 and powered the track back to the top spot with 25,170 copies sold in its first week. Other metrics for the poignant ballad have gone up as well, with streams at 102%, radio at 489%, video views at 154%, and karaoke at 112% week-over-week.
WEST.’s “Maaikka!” debuts at No. 2. The 23rd single by the seven-member boy band that celebrated its tenth anniversary on Apr. 23rd topped sales with 246,731 copies sold. The track also ranked No. 36 for radio and No. 73 for video.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips to No. 3 after scoring its second week at No. 1 last week. While it drops a few rungs on the tally, overall points for the track have increased, with downloads at 102%, radio at 193%, and video at 101% compared to the week before.
Bowing at No. 4 is OCHA NORMA’s “Chihayaburu.” The Hello! Project girl group’s fourth single sold 108,690 copies to hit No. 4 for sales, while coming in at No. 19 for downloads and No. 100 for radio.
HKT48’s 18th single “Boku wa yatto kimi wo shinpai dekiru” (“I can finally worry about you”) launches at No. 5, selling 152,017 copies to hit No. 2 for sales, but didn’t enter the top 100 in any of the other metrics of the chart’s methodology.
Elsewhere on the chart, Southern All Stars’ “Jeanne d’Arc ni yoroshiku” debuts at No. 11. The theme song for TBS Sports 2024 topped downloads and radio this week.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Sept. 9 to 15, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.