Namie Amuro, Gen Hoshino Top Billboard Japan’s 2017 Year-End Charts

Billboard’s sister organization Billboard Japan unveils its 2017 year-end charts Friday (Dec. 8), and <a href=”/music/Gen-Hoshino”>Gen Hoshino</a>’s long-running hit “Koi” is the No. 1 song of the year on the Japan Hot 100. The No. 1 album of the year on the Hot Albums chart is Japanese songstress <a href=”/music/Namie-Amuro”>Namie Amuro</a>’s Finally.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and audio streams from Apple Music, AWA, Google Play Music, KKBOK, LINE MUSIC, Rakuten Music, Recochoku provided by Gfk Japan, as well as streaming counts based on lyrics displayed on PetitLyrics.

“Koi” was released Oct. 5, 2016, and finished at No. 3 on last year’s year-end tally, but its reign over the Billboard Japan Hot 100 continued well into this year, powered by its strength in downloads and video view counts. The song finished at No. 1 in five metrics of the chart’s methodology — downloads, video views, radio airplay, look-ups and Twitter mentions — and was unrivaled in its performance on the Japan Hot 100 2017 year-end list.

Coming in at No. 2 on Billboard Japan’s year-end ranking is <a href=”/music/Ed-Sheeran”>Ed Sheeran</a>’s “Shape of You.” The former 12-week No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 breaks precedents by finishing in the top five of the Japanese year-end chart that is usually dominated by domestic artists. The song lands at No. 2, fueled by its outstanding performance in streaming and video views.

<a href=”/music/DAOKO”>DAOKO</a> x <a href=”/music/Kenshi-Yonezu”>Kenshi Yonezu</a>’s “Uchiage Hanabi” finished at No. 3 on the 2017 ranking. The darling of the Japanese internet gained points through streaming (No. 3), downloads (No. 4), and video views (No. 7).

<a href=”/music/Keyakizaka46″>Keyakizaka46</a> landed three songs in the year-end top 10: “Fukyouwaon,” “Silent Majority” and “Futari Saison.” The Japanese girl group became the breakthrough artist of 2017 by expanding its fan base through music videos and the members’ social network presence, and the group’s CDs are still selling six months after being released.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 album on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums year-end tally is Amuro’s massive greatest-hits album, Finally. It was released Nov. 8 and sold over 1 million copies in its first week, becoming the first album in 13 years since <a href=”/music/Mr-Children”>Mr. Children</a>’s Shifukunooto in 2004 to surpass 1 million copies in its first week of sales, according to SoundScan. It takes the top spot on the year-end album list after charting only three times on the weekly tally.

Amuro commented on her year-end achievement, expressing her gratitude to her loyal fans. “Each song on this album was crafted with care, and I’m delighted that many people are listening to it,” she said. “Thank you so very much.”

The album at No. 2 is the disbanded boy band <a href=”/music/smap”>SMAP</a>’s SMAP 25 YEARS, and at No. 3 is <a href=”/music/back-number”>back number</a>’s Encore. Two long-running hit albums from last year have finished in the top three.

Billboard Japan began providing charts dedicated to downloads and streaming this year. Hoshino’s “Koi” was the most downloaded song of the year, and Sheeran’s “Shape of You” was the most streamed. The most downloaded album of the year was veteran band Mr. Children’s Mr.Children 1992-2002 Thanksgiving 25.

The year 2017 saw a marked increase in streaming as the preferred method of audio and video consumption in Japan, and its pervasive effect on other media platforms resulted in long-running hits on the Japan charts.

Namie Amuro, Gen Hoshino Top Billboard Japan’s 2017 Year-End Charts

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