The year 2015 in Japanese music.
Notable events The sold-out two-day Takashi Matsumoto Official 45th Anniversary Project event was held at the Tokyo International Forum on August 21 and 22, celebrating lyricist Takashi Matsumoto's career. Performances included Matsumoto reuniting with the other two surviving members of pioneering Japanese rock band Happy End. 66th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on December 31.
Number-ones Oricon number-one albums Oricon number-one singles Hot 100 number-one singles
Best-selling records Best-selling albums The following is a list of the top 10 best-selling albums in Japan in 2015, according to Oricon. Rank Album Artist Copies 1 Japonism Arashi 981,639 2 Planet Seven Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe 868,247 3 Dreams Come True The Best! Watashi no Dorikamu Dreams Come True 828,505 4 Koko ga Rhodes da, Koko de Tobe! AKB48 780,591 5 0 to 1 no Aida AKB48 687,688 6 Mr. Children 576,867 7 Southern All Stars 534,482 8 Tree Sekai no Owari 484,588 9 Kanjani Eight 348,197 10 Kis-My-World Kis-My-Ft2 336,069
Best-selling singles The following is a list of the top 10 best-selling singles in Japan in 2015, according to Oricon. Rank Single Artist Copies 1 "Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai" AKB48 1,782,707 2 "Halloween Night" AKB48 1,328,411 3 "Green Flash" AKB48 1,045,492 4 "Kuchibiru ni Be My Baby" AKB48 905,490 5 "Coquettish Jūtai Chū" SKE48 702,299 6 "Ima, Hanashitai Dareka ga Iru" Nogizaka46 686,539 7 "Taiyō Nokku" Nogizaka46 678,481 8 "Inochi wa Utsukushii" Nogizaka46 620,555 9 "Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari" Arashi 571,597 10 "Don't Look Back!" NMB48 530,830
Awards 57th Japan Record Awards 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Japan
Albums released
January Date Album Artist Genre Labels 28 Planet Seven Sandaime J Soul Brothers J-pop Rhythm Zone
February Date Album Artist Genre Labels 4 Colour by Number Monkey Majik Rock Binyl Records 11 Imademo Kim Hyun-joong Universal Music Japan 18 Call Me... Pentagon Goemon Records 25 Last Song Seo In-guk Nippon Crown
March Date Album Artist Genre Labels 4 Epic Day B'z Hard rock, pop rock Vermillion Records18 Action U-KISS Avex Trax After School Best After School Avex Trax 25 19: Road to Amazing World Exile Rhythm Zone
April Date Album Artist Genre Labels 1 Present Donghae & Eunhyuk Avex Trax 15 2PM of 2PM 2PM Epic Records Japan
June Date Album Artist Genre Labels 17 ALXD Alexandros Rock Universal J / RX-Records
September Date Album Artist Genre Labels16PositiveTofubeatsJ-popUnborde 30 Colors CNBLUE Rock Warner Music Japan
November Date Album Artist Genre Labels 18 New Beginning Band-Maid Hard rock, heavy metal Gump Records Close to You Max Changmin J-pop Avex Trax 25 Love Letter Jun. K J-pop Epic Records Japan
December Date Album Artist Genre Labels 2 Yellow Dancer Gen Hoshino Speedstar Records 16 For You Infinite Delicious Deli Records 23 °Cmaj9 Cute J-pop Zetima
Debuting
Debuting groups 2o Love to Sweet Bullet 3776 Akishibu Project Billie Idle Bish Camellia Factory Earphones Ebisu Muscats Exo Fate Gear High4 The Hoopers Idol Renaissance Iginari Tohoku San Kolme La PomPon Ladybaby lol Magnolia Factory Mrs. Green Apple Myth & Roid Official Hige Dandism OxT Pasocom Music Club The Peggies Pentagon POP Srv.Vinci Sora tob sakana Suchmos Tacoyaki Rainbow Tahiti Tokimeki Sendenbu TrySail Wednesday Campanella Whiteeeen
Debuting soloists Aimyon Anly Daoko Inori Minase Max Changmin Reol Sakura Fujiwara
Deaths July 6 – Masabumi Kikuchi, Japanese-American pianist and composer (b. 1939)
See also 2015 in Japan 2015 in Japanese television List of Japanese films of 2015
References