The was a

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

that ranks the best selling digital singles in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, with data provided by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

from April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads (着うたフル ''Chaku-Uta Full'') (not downloads from PCs, or ringtones (着うた ''Chaku-Uta'')). On July 27, 2012, the service that tracked the charts was shut down.

History

The RIAJ originally started certifying digital downloads in August 2006. At the same time, they began posting a monthly chart called the (officially the ). This now defunct chart ranked the highest Chaku-uta (ringtone) downloads for the month. The chart was disbanded in March 2009 (the final month's data being February 2009), and was replaced by the identically named weekly Chaku-Uta Full chart.

Methodology

The chart week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday and updated on every Friday at 11 a.m ( JST). The first number-one song on this chart was " It's All Love!" by

Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emoti ...

and Misono. At first, the data was sourced from five providers: Dwango, Mora, Mu-Mo, music.jp and Recochoku. On February 19, 2010, RIAJ announced that the data became the more expanded data sourced from 14 providers (new nine providers included the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

Me).

Records

Only three non-domestic artists have ever broken the top 10 charts:

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's " Thriller" at #7 in June 2009 (directly after his death) and the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...

' "

Straight Through My Heart "Straight Through My Heart" is a song performed by American Pop music, pop band Backstreet Boys. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, ''This Is Us (Backstreet Boys album), This is Us''. On July 23, 2009 the single re ...

" at #4 in September 2009 and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

feat.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's "

Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

" at #5 in April 2010.

Songs with the most weeks at number one

;4 weeks *

Greeeen Gre4n Boyz (stylized as GRe4N BOYZ), until March 2024 named Greeeen (stylized as GReeeeN), is a Japanese all-male vocal group from Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the four members: HIDE, navi, 92 (read as "kuni"), and SOH. They de ...

– " Haruka" * Mr. Children – " Inori ~Namida no Kidou" *

Che'Nelle Cheryline Ernestine Lim, known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is a Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter. She gained popularity in Japan with the release of her debut studio album, '' Things Happen for a Reason'' (2007). Early life Cheryline Er ...

– " Believe" ;3 weeks *

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

– " Flying Get" *

Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

– " Motto Tsuyoku" * Hilcrhyme – " Daijōbu" *Hilcrhyme – " Shunkashūtō" * Infinity 16 welcomez Waka-danna from Shōnan no Kaze & Jay'ed – " Tsutaetai Koto ga Konna Aru noni" * Juju – " Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" *Juju with Jay'ed – " Ashita ga Kuru Nara" * Kara – " Go Go Summer!" * Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook – " Maru Maru Mori Mori!" *

Kana Nishino is a Japanese Pop music, pop singer signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan, SME Records' Newcome Inc. She debuted on February 20, 2008, with the single "I". Considered one of Japan's most popular songstresses of the late 2000s and 2010s, s ...

– " Best Friend" *Kana Nishino – " If" *Kana Nishino – " Kimi tte" *Kana Nishino – " Watashitachi" ;2 weeks *AKB48 – " Heavy Rotation" *AKB48 – " Kaze wa Fuiteiru" *AKB48 – " Give Me Five!" *

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ; born September 20, 1977) is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a Japanese idol, teen idol, and transitioned into a leading Pop music, pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentatio ...

– " Love Story" *Exile – " Futatsu no Kuchibiru" *Exile – " I Wish for You" *Exile – " Yasashii Hikari" * Masaharu Fukuyama – " Hatsukoi" *

Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer-songwriter and producer. Nicknamed the "Empress of Pop" on account of her influence throughout Asia, she is widely recognized for her versatile music production, songwriting, and live performances. Hamasaki is the List of ...

– " Sunrise (Love Is All)" *Hilcrhyme – " Loose Leaf" * Jamosa feat. Jay'ed & Wakadanna – " Nanika Hitotsu" * Kaela Kimura – "

Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

" * Koda Kumi – " Ai o Tomenaide" *Mr. Children – " Kazoe Uta" *

Mika Nakashima is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in th ...

– " Always" *Kana Nishino – " Aitakute Aitakute" *Kana Nishino – " Motto..." *Kana Nishino – "

Distance Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects, points, people, or ideas are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two co ...

" *Kana Nishino – " Sakura, I Love You?" * Fuyumi Sakamoto – " Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru" * Shota Shimizu x Miliyah Kato – " Forever Love" * Kana Uemura – " Toilet no Kamisama"

References

External links