Sakurazaka46’s ‘Ai MUST BE’ Tops Japan Hot 100 as iiONDO’s Debut Single ‘Hatsukoi ONDO’ Bows at No. 5
Sakurazaka46’s “Ai MUST BE” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, following the release of its single on 14 October. Its first-week sales of 736,759 copies helped secure the top spot, while strong results across downloads, radio and streaming added to its chart performance.
EBiDAN’s “Yes! Tokyo” rose to No. 2, and Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Kyohan” held at No. 3. iiONDO, an eight-member group launched from EBiDAN, debuted at No. 5 with “Hatsukoi ONDO”, whose single sold 202,345 copies; other new entries included MATSURI at No. 6 and Travis Japan at No. 8. The chart combines physical and digital sales with streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data, and covers the week of 12 to 18 October.
In short
- Sakurazaka46 topped the Japan Hot 100.
- “Ai MUST BE” sold 736,759 copies in its first week.
- iiONDO debuted at No. 5 with “Hatsukoi ONDO”.
Explained simply
Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 ranks songs using several measures, including physical and digital sales, streaming, radio airplay, video views and karaoke. This means a song’s position reflects a mix of how many copies it sells and how widely people listen to or play it.
Sakurazaka46 is a Japanese pop group whose singles can attract large first-week sales. EBiDAN is a group of Japanese male performers and the organisation that launched iiONDO, an eight-member act; the chart also features established artists such as Mrs. GREEN APPLE and Travis Japan.
The chart offers a snapshot of how different songs are performing across Japan during a particular week. Comparing sales with listening and broadcast measures helps show why a release may rank highly even when its performance varies across those categories.