At present, K-pop is once again taking over the Japanese market, with idol groups from the second, third, and fourth generations, including SHINee, 2PM, BTS, BLACKPINK, ENHYPEN, and more, achieving success in the country with their singles or albums.
On Aug. 10, the Korean media outlet Sports Chosun tackled the K-pop groups that have seen great results in Japan either in terms of sales, streams, music chart rankings, and more.
SHINee and 2PM Continue to be Representatives of K-pop's Second Generation in the Japanese Market with Their Latest Albums
2PM made their first comeback in almost five years on June 28 with the release of their seventh studio album, "MUST."
Despite being a Korean release, 2PM's "MUST" took the top spot on the Japanese iTunes Album Chart following release, as well as on the Tower Records Daily Sales Chart. "MUST" also ranked fourth on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart.
ALSO READ: SHINee, BTS, TWICE, and BLACKPINK Dominate Japan's Oricon Chart with Respective Releases
As for SHINee, the boy group released their new Japanese mini-album, titled "SUPERSTAR," on July 28. This work debuted on the Oricon Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot Albums.
SHINee's "SUPERSTAR" has also been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for selling 100,000 album copies in the country.
BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and ASTRO Prove Their Immense Popularity in Japan as Third-Generation K-pop Groups
BTS's "Butter" CD, which was dropped on July 9, went straight to the No. 1 position on the Oricon Chart, particularly the weekly album rankings.
With this, the "Butter" CD becomes the boy group's ninth album to top the weekly chart, making BTS the foreign artist with the most No. 1 album on Oricon.
And recently, BTS received a million certification from RIAJ for their latest Japanese album, "BTS, The Best," becoming the first Korean male act to obtain this.
READ MORE: BTS 'Butter' and 'Permission to Dance' are the Top 2 Most Streamed Songs in Japan for 4 Consecutive Weeks
ASTRO is emerging as one of the popular K-pop groups in Japan. Recently, the boy band swept the music charts in South Korea and abroad with their new album, "SWITCH ON."
Different versions of ASTRO's "SWITCH ON" ranked first and second on Japan's Tower Records Daily Chart. It also grabbed the No. 2 spot on the weekly rankings.
Meanwhile, TWICE recently set a record on the Billboard Japan Streaming Chart as the first K-pop girl group to do so.
The nonet also ranked first on the Oricon Daily Album Chart from July 28 to 31 with their new Japanese full-length album, "Perfect World." The album's title track of the same name was pre-released on June 30 and it quickly climbed to the top of local music charts including Line Music.
Along with TWICE, BLACKPINK is considered one of the top major K-pop girl groups. BLACKPINK's "THE ALBUM" (Japanese version) swept the top spot on the Oricon Daily Album Chart and the Japanese Apple Music Top Album Chart.
Moreover, the Japanese version of BLACKPINK's "How You Like That" and "Lovesick Girls" topped various Japanese music charts like Line Music and iTunes.
ENHYPEN, Stray Kids, and Rocket Punch are Among the Fourth-Generation K-pop Groups Entering the Japanese Market
Apart from the K-pop groups from the second and third generations of K-pop, some groups from the fourth generation are also doing well in the Japanese market.
BTS's junior idol group ENHYPEN impressive sold more than 350,000 copies with their Japanese debut single "BORDER: Hakanai."
ENHYPEN's "BORDER: Hakanai" even topped the Oricon Daily Singles Chart for seven days straight, and eventually took first place on the weekly rankings on July 19.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: ENHYPEN's Japanese Debut Album Becomes Certified Gold Disk Platinum by RIAJ
Stray Kids is another fourth-generation boy group that has captured the attention of Japanese fans. At the time of their Japanese debut with "SKZ2020," they ranked first on the Tower Records' K-pop Japan Album Top 10.
Stray Kids' first Japanese single "Top" even claimed first place on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart in the first week of release.
Finally, girl group Rocket Punch attained a successful Japanese debut with their album, "Bubble Up!"
Rocket Punch's "Bubble Up!" placed ninth on the Oricon Daily Album Chart and ranked first the Japanese iTunes K-pop Album Chart.
Furthermore, "Bubble Up!" was chosen as the ending theme for Nippon TV's "Downtown DX."
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
