"Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" is the twenty-fourth single by B'z, released on April 8, 1998. The song is one of their many number-one singles on the Oricon chart.
Superfly is a Japanese rock act that debuted on April 4, 2007. Formerly a duo, the act now consists solely of lyricist and vocalist Shiho Ochi with former guitarist Kōichi Tabo still credited as the group's composer and part-time lyricist. Superfly's first two studio albums were certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, and their first four consecutive albums all debuted at the top of the Oricon Weekly Album Charts, a first for a female recording artist in Japan in over seven years.
"Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki)" (Love yourself ～君が嫌いな君が好き～, "Love Yourself ~I Love the You That You Hate~") is the eleventh single by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN. It was released on February 10, 2010 by their record label J-One Records. The title track was used as the theme song for the Tokyo Broadcasting System drama, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, which stars member Kazuya Kamenashi.
NGT48 is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth floor of the LoveLa2 shopping mall in Niigata City.
"Koi Hitoyo" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Shizuka Kudo, released on December 28, 1988, by Pony Canyon as the lead single from her third studio album Joy (1989). Almost a year later to the day, Kudo marked her second appearance on Kōhaku Uta Gassen by performing "Koi Hitoyo".
The year 2018 in Japanese music.
"Red" is the fifty-second single by Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on 10 June 2015. It is their first non-album single since 2012's "Go for It, Baby " and their first single without a b-side since 1996's "Real Thing Shakes". The song was written to be Hiroshima Toyo Carp's pitcher Hiroki Kuroda's entrance song, and its title is a reference to the club's colors.
King & Prince is a two-member Japanese idol group under Johnny & Associates that debuted in 2018. The group was originally a Johnny's Jr. unit, Mr. King vs Mr. Prince that was composed of 2 separate units: Mr. King and Prince. The units later performed as one group for TV Asahi's Roppongi Hills Natsu Matsuri Summer Station in June 2015. Their debut was announced at a press conference on 17 January 2018 along with the establishment of Johnny & Associates' new record label under Universal Music, Johnny's Universe, with King & Prince becoming the first artists to sign under the label. They have sold 12.3 million physical copies in Japan.
Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe is a seven-member Japanese male dance, vocal and MC unit formed and managed by LDH. The group is part of the collective Exile Tribe, related to Exile, and signed to the record label Rhythm Zone from the Avex Group.
Japanese boy band JO1 has released three studio albums, one video album, seven singles, twenty five promotional singles, and fourteen music videos with Lapone Entertainment. Formed through the reality competition show Produce 101 Japan, JO1 debuted in 2020 with the single Protostar and the Japan Hot 100 number-one song "Infinity". The single made the group the seventh Japanese artist to sell over 300,000 copies of a debut single in the first week. It was followed by the single Stranger and its lead track "Oh-Eh-Oh", both of which peaked atop the Oricon Singles Chart and the Japan Hot 100, respectively. The group's first studio album, The Star (2020), debuted at number two on the Japan Hot Albums chart.
Yoasobi is a Japanese pop superduo formed in 2019 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, composed of Vocaloid producer Ayase and singer-songwriter Ikura. Represented by the slogan "novel into music", the duo originally released songs based on selected short stories posted on Monogatary.com, a social media website for creative writing operated by the label. Stories were later also sourced from various media like stories written by professional authors, books, letters, and plays, etc.
New Love is the twenty-first studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on May 29, 2019, about a year and a half after their previous album Dinosaur. It is the first B'z album to not have an accompanying single, though music videos were produced for "Tsuwamono, Hashiru", "Wolf", and "Majestic".
Leo-Nine is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer LiSA. It was released on October 14, 2020, through Sacra Music and Sony Music Japan. Leo-Nine marks the singer's first full-length project in over three years since Little Devil Parade (2017). Like Little Devil Parade, Leo-Nine features a wide range of contribution from composers and producers, including long-time collaborators Pablo, Ryo Eguchi, Koichiro Takahashi, and Shota Horie. The album sold over 66,000 copies in its first week, reaching the number one spot on both Oricon Albums Chart and Billboard Japan's Hot Albums chart. Along with "Homura" debuting at number one on the Japan Hot 100, LiSA became the first artist ever to debut atop the Billboard Japan's charts simultaneously. The album has since received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
"Yasashii Suisei" is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their second extended play, The Book 2 (2021). It was released on January 20, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan, and released as a double A-side CD single together with "Kaibutsu" on March 24. The song was featured as an ending theme song for the second season of the anime television series Beastars.
Challenger is an extended play (EP) marketed as the third single of Japanese boy group JO1. It also served as the lead single for their second studio album, Kizuna (2022). Consisting of a total of six songs, the EP single was released by Lapone Entertainment into three different physical editions and one digital edition on April 28, 2021. It features the participation of various Japanese and South Korean songwriters and production teams such as Score, Megatone, Teito, Kebee, Masahiro Ōchi, Hayato Tanaka and others. The single earned the top spot at the Oricon Singles Chart and received a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan with its lead track "Born to Be Wild" peaked atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Naniwa Danshi (なにわ男子) is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates on October 6, 2018. It consists of seven members who primarily come from the Kansai region. The group's official debut announcement was made on July 28, 2021, through their label J Storm. Their debut single, "Ubu Love", was released on November 12, 2021. Naniwa Danshi is the fourth Johnny & Associates group from the Kansai region to make an official debut after KinKi Kids, Kanjani Eight, and Johnny's West. The name "Naniwa" refers to the old name of Osaka. In just 4 months they sold 1.14 million physical copies in Japan.
Friends III is the sixth mini-album by the Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on December 8, 2021. It's a concept album and is a sequel to their previous mini-album, Friends II, released in 1996.
The year 2022 in Japanese music.
Highway X is the twenty-second studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on August 10, 2022, and was their first album released after the COVID-19 pandemic started.
"Shukufuku", alternatively titled "The Blessing" in English, is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their third extended play, The Book 3 (2023). It was released on October 1, 2022, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan, served as the opening theme of the first season of the Japanese mecha anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022). The song was based on the anime writer Ichirō Ōkouchi's novel Yurikago no Hoshi, depicting the perspective of XVX-016 Gundam Aerial to Suletta Mercury. "Shukufuku" reached number three on the Oricon Singles Chart and Combined Singles Chart, and number two on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and was certified platinum for both downloads and streaming by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
