List of best-selling music artists in Japan


The best-selling music artists in Japan include Japanese artists with claims of 15 million or more record sales. Japan is the largest physical music market in the world and the second largest overall behind the United States, and the biggest in Asia, according to International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
Sources that provide the sales an artist or record company claim via press release, rather than certified or reported by reliable third parties such as Oricon, are denoted by a "†".

Oricon Charts

provides accumulated physical sales of all entries on its singles and albums charts. Note that Oricon does not count sales of the records that did not enter or fell off of the charts, unlike Nielsen SoundScan. Therefore, it generally shows fewer numbers than reported sales via record labels, and may not reflect the real sales obtained by these artists. In addition, it excludes recording artists like Michiya Mihashi, Hibari Misora, Yujiro Ishihara, and Hachiro Kasuga who had garnered most of commercial success before Oricon was established in the late 1960s. The reported numbers like Mihashi's 100 million and Misora's 68 million records, are highly doubtful and cannot be confirmed by Oricon and RIAJ.
The best-selling artist according to Oricon are B'z, who is also the best-selling artist by a number of albums sold. The best-selling artists by number of singles sold are AKB48, B'z in second place, Mr. Children in third place, and Southern All Stars in fourth place. Ayumi Hamasaki holds the record for being the best selling solo artist and being the only solo artist to sell more than 50 million in total.
The list excludes sales of albums or singles recorded by artists in collaboration with others as part of a singular artist or group's total.

Artists by sales

50 million or more records

ArtistYears activeGenreSales
B'z1988–presentHard rock / Pop rock / Blues rock82.62 million
AKB482005–presentJ-pop / Electropop / Dance-pop62.05 million
Mr. Children1989–1997, 1998–presentPop rock / Power pop / Progressive pop60.01 million
Ayumi Hamasaki1998–presentPop / Dance / Electronic / Rock50.71 million

30 million to 49 million records

ArtistYears activeGenreSales
Southern All Stars1975–presentSoft rock / Pop rock / Folk rock / Blues rock48.97 million
Dreams Come True1988–presentNew wave / R&B44.94 million
Tomoyasu Hotei1988–presentRock40 million†
Yumi Matsutoya1968–presentPop rock / Jazz fusion / Folk rock / Kayōkyoku39.39 million
Glay1988–presentPop rock / Power pop / Progressive rock38.80 million
Arashi1999–presentPop / Pop rock / R&B / Hip hop38.44 million
Zard1991–2007Pop rock37.63 million
Utada Hikaru1998–2010, 2016–presentJ-pop / R&B / Dance / Electronica37.34 million
SMAP1991–2016J-pop / R&B37.20 million
Namie Amuro1992–2018Pop / R&B / Hip hop / EDM / Eurobeat36.18 million
Chage and Aska1979–1996, 1999–2009Folk rock / Soft rock31 million
X Japan1982–1997, 2007–presentHeavy metal30 million†
Seiko Matsuda1980–presentPop / Kayōkyoku30 million†

20 million to 29 million records

ArtistYears activeGenreSales
L'Arc-en-Ciel1991–presentAlternative rock / Pop rock / Post-punk29.27 million
Globe1995–presentSynthpop / Eurobeat / Trance28.94 million
KinKi Kids1993–presentPop26.06 million
Akina Nakamori1982–presentPop / Kayōkyoku25.34 million
Tube1985–presentPower pop / Surf rock / Blues rock24.55 million
Masaharu Fukuyama1990–presentPop / Rock24.10 million
Exile2001–presentJ-pop / R&B / Dance / House23.44 million
Every Little Thing1996–presentPop rock / Soft rock / Synthpop22.72 million
Maki Ohguro1989–presentPop / Dance-pop / New Wave22.67 million
Morning Musume1997–presentJ-pop / Electropop / Dance-pop22.47 million
Miyuki Nakajima1975–presentKayōkyoku / Folk / Rock / Enka21.96 million
TRF1993–presentJ-pop / Hi-NRG / Rave / Techno21.71 million
Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi1977–presentRock / Folk21.64 million
Noriyuki Makihara1990–presentPop21 million
Spitz1987–presentAlternative rock / Pop rock20.68 million
Speed1996–2000, 2008–2012Pop / Dance / R&B / Hip hop20 million†
Misia1998–presentR&B / Pop / Soul / Dance20 million†

10 million to 19 million records

ArtistYears activeGenreSales
Hiroshi Itsuki1965–presentEnka / Pop19.24 million
Kome Kome Club1982–1997, 2006–presentPop rock / Psychedelic soul / Funk rock / Rakugo18.66 million
Pink Lady1976–1981,
1996–1997,
2003–2005,
2010–2017		Pop / Kayōkyoku / Disco17 million
Kanjani82004–presentPop / Rock / Enka / Kayōkyoku17.00 million
Toshinobu Kubota1981–presentR&B / Pop / Soul / Neo soul16.33 million
Kyosuke Himuro1978–2016Rock / Pop16.25 million
Momoe Yamaguchi1973–1980Pop / Kayōkyoku16.22 million
Dragon Ash1996–PresentAlternative Rock / Hip hop / Nu metal / Punk rock16 million
Mariya Takeuchi1978–PresentPop / Funk / Soul / Disco16 million
Yōsui Inoue1969–presentRock / Folk15.809 million
Hiromi Gō1972–presentPop / Kayōkyoku / R&B15.78 million
Kenji Sawada1969–presentPop / Rock15.71 million
Mai Kuraki1999–presentPop / R&B15.5 million
The Checkers1981–1992Rock 'n' roll / Rockabilly / Pop rock / Doo-wop15.38 million
Miki Imai1986–presentPop15.31 million
Mariah Carey1988–presentPop / Soul / R&B / Dance15 million
Judy and Mary1992–2001Pop rock / Art punk / Alternative rock15 million
Puffy AmiYumi1995–presentDance rock / Pop rock / Pop punk / Power pop15 million
Shizuka Kudo1987–PresentPop / Kayōkyoku15 million
Koda Kumi2000–presentPop / Soul / R&B / Dance15 million†
Miho Nakayama1985–presentPop / Kayōkyoku14.97 million
Nogizaka462011–presentPop14.60 million
Kyōko Koizumi1982–presentPop14.26 million
Shinichi Mori1966–presentEnka / Kayōkyoku14.10 million
Hideki Saijo1972–2018Pop13.30 million
Misato Watanabe1985–presentPop / Funk / Rock12.70 million
Toshihiko Tahara1980–presentPop12.70 million
Masahiko Kondo1980–presentPop / Kayōkyoku12.67 million
Hikaru Genji1987–1996Pop12.22 million
Tomomi Kahara1995–2006, 2013–presentPop / Adult contemporary / Pop rock / Dance-pop12.19 million
V61995–presentPop / Rock12.12 million
Sandaime J Soul Brothers2010–presentJ-Pop / Dance / R&B11.15 million†
Orange Range2001–presentRap rock / Alternative rock / Pop rock / Power pop11 million
Princess Princess1983–1996J-pop / J-rock / Glam Rock11 million
Luna Sea1989–2000, 2010–presentProgressive rock / Alternative rock / Hard rock / Punk rock10+ million†
Chemistry2001–presentJ-pop / R&B10 million
MAX1995–presentJ-pop10 million
Shiina Ringo1998–presentJ-pop / J-rock10 million
KAT-TUN2006–presentJ-pop10 million
Aiko1998–presentJ-pop10 million
Hiromi Iwasaki1975–presentPop / Kayōkyoku10 million

Best-selling artist sales by year