Billboard Japan Announces 2026 First Half Chart Results!

Billboard US, a group of Penske Media Corporation (headquartered in New York, USA), and Billboard Japan (Hanshin Contents Link Co., Ltd., which holds the master license for the Billboard brand in Japan) have announced the winning songs and artists for the 2026 first-half charts.

(Tracking period: November 24, 2025 – May 24, 2026 / Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan and other country/regional charts: November 21, 2025 – May 21, 2026)

On the combined song chart [Billboard JAPAN Hot 100], Kenshi Yonezu's 'IRIS OUT' claimed the top spot. Written as the theme song for the theatrical film 'Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc', the song achieved 100 million streams in just 4 weeks, the fastest in Billboard Japan history. It also reached No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200 chart dated October 4, 2025, the highest ever for a Japanese-language song, becoming a hit both domestically and internationally, boosted by the anime's popularity. Kenshi Yonezu won a total of 11 titles in the first-half charts, including this one. Following in second place is M!LK with 'Sukisugite Horobiru!'. Thanks to its catchy phrase, increased media appearances including the '76th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen', and buzz on social media, the song stayed in the top 10 for 23 consecutive weeks during the first half. In third place is Mrs. GREEN APPLE's 'lulu.', the opening theme for the second season of the TV anime 'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End'. King Gnu's 'AIZO' placed fourth, and HANA's 'Blue Jeans' placed fifth, showing a diverse range of artists including soloists, idols, bands, and dance & vocal groups in the top ranks.

On the combined album chart [Billboard JAPAN Hot Albums], BTS's 5th album 'ARIRANG', their comeback after approximately 3 years and 9 months, took the top spot. It ranked first in both CD sales and streaming metrics, achieving its 8th overall first-half top spot. HANA's 1st album 'HANA' came in second, followed by King & Prince's concept album 'STARRING' themed around movies in third. Number_i's 2nd full album 'No.II' placed fourth, and the tribute album 'Dear Jubilee -RADWIMPS TRIBUTE-' by RADWIMPS came in fifth.

On the artist chart [Billboard JAPAN Artist 100], which combines points from songs and albums, Mrs. GREEN APPLE took the top spot, achieving the unprecedented feat of winning the 'Artist 100' for three consecutive years in the first-half chart history. Following them, HANA placed second just over a year after their major debut, and back number, who placed 14 songs on the first-half Hot 100, came in third. Kenshi Yonezu, whose 'IRIS OUT' continues its long run, placed fourth, and M!LK, who showed a rapid rise from last year to this year, placed fifth.

On the global chart for Japanese songs, 'Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan', Kenshi Yonezu's 'IRIS OUT' also secured the top spot. Additionally, it reached number one in six countries and regions on the Japan Songs (country/regional) charts.

Please see below for comments from the winning artists (Kenshi Yonezu / BTS / Mrs. GREEN APPLE / ARASHI label staff / CRAZY WOW WOW!! / Yamamoto) regarding their chart rankings.

Kenshi Yonezu 2026 First Half Combined Song Chart 2026 First Half Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan 1st Place Commemorative Comment I am proud that 'IRIS OUT' has become a song liked by so many people. Even listening to it now, I laugh thinking it's such a silly song, but being able to leave a song like this in this era and continue making new music is an incomparable happiness for a popular musician. I would like to once again express my gratitude to the great work 'Chainsaw Man'. Thank you very much.

BTS 2026 First Half Combined Album Chart 1st Place Commemorative Comment We are very honored and happy that the album we released after 3 years and 9 months has been loved by so many people. Like 'Arirang', the title of our album, we hope it will resonate with many people across time and place and be remembered for a long time.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE 2026 First Half Artist Chart 1st Place Commemorative Comment Winning for the third consecutive year is a great honor, and since we are currently working on an album scheduled for release in the second half, this serves as encouragement and power to make that album great. Thank you very much. (Motoki Ohmori)

ARASHI 2026 First Half Download Song Chart 2026 First Half Hot Shot Songs 1st Place Commemorative Comment from Label Representative We are deeply honored that ARASHI's 'Five' has won the top spot for the 2026 first half 'Download Songs' and 'Hot Shot Songs'. We take this as a record for both ARASHI and each and every one of the listeners who showed interest in ARASHI's new song and, most importantly, the ARASHI fans who have supported them for so long. We hope that 'Five' and other ARASHI songs will continue to be a part of your daily lives and be listened to for years to come. (Storm Labels Inc.)

CRAZY WOW WOW!! 2026 First Half Heatseekers Songs 1st Place Commemorative Comment We are so happy that 'Tontsukatan Tan' has been selected as the number 1 song on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart for the first half of the year! Thank you so much! Not just since we started the band, but in my entire music life, I have never had so many people listen to my song. This is all thanks to everyone who danced and to my band members. We've received various comments about this song, but even if it looks like just a string of meaningless words, if the message I want to convey reaches someone through this song and makes them happy, then I am the happiest of all. We are still an inexperienced band, but we appreciate your continued support. We'll be waiting for you at the live houses!

Yamamoto 2026 First Half Niconico VOCALOID SONGS 1st Place Commemorative Comment I'm honored to be number 1. Before its release, I thought it could be a strikeout or a home run, and any ranking from 1st to last was possible, so I'm glad it was 1st. Thank you very much for listening so much.