Spotify Releases Japan's 2026 First Half Music Scene Rankings

● Most Streamed Song in Japan in the First Half of 2026 is Kenshi Yonezu's "IRIS OUT"; Mrs. GREEN APPLE Continues to Dominate the Domestic Artist Category Since 2023

● Most Streamed Japanese Song Overseas is King Gnu's "AIZO"; Ado Takes First Place in the Overseas Artist Category for the Second Consecutive Year

Spotify, the audio streaming service used by over 761 million users worldwide, has released its rankings for Japan, looking back at the first half of 2026 based on this year's listening data.

Most Streamed Songs/Artists in Japan in the First Half of 2026

Songs

The most streamed song in Japan in the first half of this year was Kenshi Yonezu's "IRIS OUT." Released on September 15, 2025, as the theme song for the theatrical version of "Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc," it set a record for the largest number of streams on its release date (596,608) and topped the Spotify Japan Daily Chart. On September 21, it broke the 1 million daily streams mark, a first in the history of Spotify Japan, becoming a historic hit that rewrote numerous records. It continued its long run into 2026, surpassing 274 million total streams worldwide.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE, which dominated last year's domestic annual rankings, came in second with "lulu.," the first song released in their "Phase 3." Their previous year's number one song, "Lilac," also ranked seventh, reflecting their enduring popularity.

A notable new trend is that songs by dance & vocal groups occupy five of the top 10 spots. M!LK, which debuted at number four, created a social phenomenon with the catchy phrase and choreography of "Suki Sugite Metsu!" and their unique characters beloved by a wide range of generations. HANA, the most discovered artist in Japan last year, made an impressive debut in this ranking with two songs: "Blue Jeans" (5th) and "ROSE" (10th). Number_i, who also won the "Best of Listener's Choice: Domestic Song" category at the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN in June, reached their highest position in this category at third place with their latest single "3XL," released in January. BE:FIRST, debuting at eighth place, gained many listeners with "Muchu," which highlights their outstanding vocals and singing ability.

Artists

In the most streamed artist category in Japan, Mrs. GREEN GREEN APPLE secured first place, marking their consecutive win since 2023. While the top three remained the same as last year, BTS, who resumed activities, and Arashi entered at fourth and fifth place respectively, reaffirming the unwavering passion of their fans.

HANA, who has released a string of hits since emerging from the 2024 audition "No No Girls," and Chanmina, who also showcased new charm as HANA's producer, both made their debut in this ranking. As top female artists garnering significant support from female listeners, they demonstrate their immense influence on the music scene.

Most Streamed Japanese Songs/Artists Overseas in the First Half of 2026

Songs

In the most streamed Japanese song overseas category, King Gnu took their first number one with "AIZO." Since its release in January as the opening theme for the third season of the TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen" ("The Culling Game Arc Part 1"), it has garnered significant support overseas, particularly in the United States, surpassing 124 million total streams worldwide. "SPECIALZ," which was popular as the opening theme for the second season ("Shibuya Incident") of the same work and ranked third in this category in 2023, re-entered at eighth place, becoming a prime example of related songs spreading globally in conjunction with the popularity of anime.

Kenshi Yonezu's "IRIS OUT," which broke numerous domestic records, also gained many overseas listeners, ranking second in this category. The overseas listener ratio exceeds 50%, primarily from the United States, South Korea, and Mexico.

While songs that continue to be long-term hits overseas, such as Fujii Kaze's "Shinunoga E-Wa" (surpassing 823 million total streams worldwide and setting a new record for domestic songs), Teriyaki Boyz's "Tokyo Drift," Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," and imase's "NIGHT DANCER," dominated the rankings, XG recorded their highest position in this category at fourth place with "HYPNOTIZE," the lead track from their first full album "THE CORE," released in January. Aina The End's "Kakumei Douchuu - On The Way," released in July last year, also crossed borders widely with the overseas popularity of the TV anime "DanDaDan," marking their first appearance in the rankings.

Artists

In the most streamed Japanese artist overseas category, Ado secured first place for the second consecutive year. Following her world tour last year, which mobilized over 500,000 people across 33 cities and 34 performances, her momentum is accelerating further. In May, she headlined "Zipangu 2026," one of North America's largest J-POP festivals held in LA, and her participation in the major music festival "Lollapalooza" in July has also been announced.

King Gnu, which showed strength in the song category, also ranked sixth in this category, marking their first appearance. While artists like Kenshi Yonezu, YOASOBI, ATLUS Sound Team, Joe Hisaishi, and Fujii Kaze have established overseas support, Yorushika, who is rapidly gaining overseas popularity through anime tie-ins and artistic works/visual expressions, debuted at tenth place. XG, sixth last year, returned to the top 3 for the first time in three years, and Nujabes, who ranked third in this category in 2018, re-entered the top 10 after a long absence, showing notable movements.

Most Discovered Artists in Japan in the First Half of 2026

In the most discovered artist category in Japan, M!LK, a debut artist, took the top spot, surpassing last year's number one, HANA. M!LK also achieved the feat of sending "Suki Sugite Metsu!" to fourth place in the most streamed songs category. Their song "Bakuretsu Aishiteru," released in February this year, also became a streaming hit, with monthly listeners exceeding 2.58 million, showing further expansion.

Arashi, who concluded their 26.5 years of activities with a nationwide five-dome tour starting in March, secured third place. Additionally, King & Prince and Snow Man, who made all their previously undelivered songs available on subscription services on May 23 and June 1 respectively, ranked fifth and fourth, indicating that artists with strong fandoms occupied the top positions.

Sakanaction, who garnered attention last year with the hit "Kaiju," entered at sixth place following the viral hit of their 2012 song "Yoru no Odoriko" both domestically and internationally this year. They have succeeded in acquiring new listeners, following their third-place ranking last year.

Spotify Wrapped

Every year at the end of the year, Spotify presents "Spotify Wrapped," an initiative that allows listeners to look back at their year through their listening history. It presents data on the most listened-to artists, songs, music genres, and podcasts throughout the year in a fun format. Please continue to enjoy your music experience on Spotify leading up to the year-end "Spotify Wrapped" event.

The rankings for the first half of 2026 are as follows:

*Reporting Period: January 1, 2026 - June 24, 2026

Most Streamed Songs in Japan

Kenshi Yonezu - IRIS OUT

Mrs. GREEN APPLE - lulu.

Number_i - 3XL

M!LK - Suki Sugite Metsu!

HANA - Blue Jeans

King Gnu - AIZO

Mrs. GREEN APPLE - Lilac

BE:FIRST - Muchu

back number - Hanataba

HANA - ROSE

Most Streamed Artists in Japan

Mrs. GREEN APPLE

back number

Kenshi Yonezu

BTS

Arashi

HANA

Number_i

Vaundy

RADWIMPS

Chanmina

Most Streamed Japanese Songs Overseas

King Gnu - AIZO

Kenshi Yonezu - IRIS OUT

Teriyaki Boyz - Tokyo Drift (Fast & Furious)

- From "The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift" Soundtrack

XG - HYPNOTIZE

Fujii Kaze - Shinunoga E-Wa

Creepy Nuts - Bling-Bang-Bang-Born

Kenshi Yonezu - KICK BACK

King Gnu - SPECIALZ

imase - NIGHT DANCER

Aina The End - Kakumei Douchuu - On The Way

Most Streamed Japanese Artists Overseas

Ado

Kenshi Yonezu

XG

YOASOBI

ATLUS Sound Team

King Gnu

Joe Hisaishi

Fujii Kaze

Nujabes

Yorushika

Most Discovered Artists in Japan

M!LK

HANA

Arashi

Snow Man

King & Prince

Sakanaction

Aina The End

Chanmina

back number

Kenshi Yonezu

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