Number_i’s ‘GOAT’ Debuts at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

Number_i’s “GOAT” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Jan. 10.

Number_i is the new group formed by members Sho Hirano, Yuta Jinguji, and Yuta Kishi, three former members of King & Prince. The trio’s first digital single dropped on New Year’s Day and launched at No. 1 for downloads, radio airplay, and video views, while coming in at No. 15 for streaming with 4,801,615 weekly streams. First-week figures for the track placed it far ahead of the song at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100 — Ado’s “Show” — with downloads hitting 64,321 units (3.8 times the number for “Show”) and 7,243,154 video views (2.3 times).

Songs that enjoyed exposure on year-end music programs continue to rise on the charts this week, with two iconic live shows — the 65th Japan Record Awards and the 74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen — greatly influencing the action.

Ado’s “Show” slips to No. 2 after extending its record to 13 weeks at No. 1 last week. The long-running hit comes in at No. 2 for downloads and streaming, with the former racking up 16,740 units (up 14%) and the latter 10,318,975 streams (up 0.6%). Radio jumped 24-11, indicating that the track is also being played on platforms other than ground-based TV broadcasts.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” comes in at No. 3, also boosted by a jaw-dropping staging of this monster hit track on NHK’s year-end live music extravaganza, with more than a dozen A-list J-pop and K-pop idol groups, dance teams and individuals gracing the stage to assist the superstar duo’s first-ever live performance of their global hit on TV. The record-holder for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 is on the rise again, with downloads up 67% to 16,740 units (No. 3), streaming up 13% to 10,571,870 streams (No. 1) and video up 11% to 2,341,628 views (No. 3). Like Ado’s “Show,” the Oshi no Ko opener has gained new fans through its year-end exposure. 

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Que Sera Sera,” winner of the 2023 Grand Prix at the 65th Japan Record Awards, rises to No. 4 after jumping 17-7 last week. Points for streaming increased significantly, up 23% with 7,759,163 views, indicating that the song is reaching a new generations of fans. “Dance Hall,” which the three-man band performed on Kohaku, rose 18-12 this week, and like Vaundy’s “Kaiju no Hanauta” — a karaoke favorite that continued to chart in the upper tiers of the Japan Hot 100 throughout last year after the 23-year-old performed it on Kohaku in 2022 — Mrs. GREEN APPLE could have another hit song in the making this year.

Other notable chart-movers powered by year-end TV performances include 10-FEET’s “Dai Zero Kan” (21-13), ATARASHII GAKKO!’s “OTONABLUE” (32-20), NewJeans’ “Ditto” (46-22) and Aimyon’s “Ai no Hana” (79-27), all enjoying surges in metrics including downloads, streaming, radio, video, and karaoke.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 1 to 7, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.