2011 in Japanese music
The following is an overview of the year 2011 in Japanese music. It includes notable awards, lists of number-ones, yearly best-sellers, albums released, groups established and disestablished, deaths of notable Japanese music-related people as well as any other relevant Japanese music-related events. For overviews of the year in music from other countries, see 2011 in music.
| By location |
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| By genre |
| By topic |
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Events
- May 31 – July 18 – The First Japan Arena Tour (Girls' Generation)
- December 31 – 62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Awards
- June 25 – 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
- December 30 – 53rd Japan Record Awards
Number-ones
Best-sellers
Artists
The following is a list of the 5 best-selling music artists in Japan in 2011 by value of sales, including sales of records and of DVDs and Blu-rays, according to Oricon.[1]
| Rank | Artist | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKB48 | ¥16.282 billion |
| 2 | Arashi | ¥15.369 billion |
| 3 | Exile | ¥5.603 billion |
| 4 | Kara | ¥4.926 billion |
| 5 | Shōjo Jidai | ¥4.049 billion |
Albums
The following is a list of the top 10 best-selling albums in Japan in 2011, according to Oricon.[2]
| Rank | Album | Artist | Copies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beautiful World | Arashi | 907,589 |
| 2 | Koko ni Ita Koto | AKB48 | 829,645 |
| 3 | Negai no Tō | Exile | 743,242 |
| 4 | Born This Way | Lady Gaga | 658,554 |
| 5 | Girls' Generation | Shōjo Jidai | 642,054 |
| 6 | Checkmate! | Namie Amuro | 484,336 |
| 7 | Super Girl | Kara | 450,595 |
| 8 | Musicman | Keisuke Kuwata | 414,725 |
| 9 | SMAP Aid | SMAP | 413,943 |
| 10 | Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection | Ikimono-gakari | 397,459 |
Albums released
The following section includes albums by Japanese artists released in Japan in 2011 as well as Japanese-language albums by foreign artists released in the country during this year.
- January 19 – Eight by Do As Infinity
- January 26 – Go by Girugamesh
- February 23 – Musicman by Keisuke Kuwata
- March 9 – Negai no Tō by Exile
- March 23 – Brand-new idol Society by BiS
- March 30 – 7 Berryz Times by Berryz Kobo
- April 27 – Checkmate! by Namie Amuro
- June 1 – Cherish by Seiko Matsuda
- June 1 – Girls' Generation by Girls' Generation
- June 8 – Echo by Nothing's Carved in Stone
- June 8 – Koko ni Ita Koto by AKB48
- July 6 – Beautiful World by Arashi
- July 20 – Luv Songs by Che'Nelle
- July 27 – C'mon by B'z
- August 3 – Dum Spiro Spero by Dir En Grey
- August 17 – SMAP Aid by SMAP
- September 21 – After Eden by Kalafina
- November 17 – Fight by Kanjani Eight
- November 23 – Super Girl by Kara
- November 30 – Republic of 2PM by 2PM
- December 7 – Memories by Garnet Crow
Debuting artists
Deaths
- Yoshiko Tanaka dies on April 21 from Breast Cancer.
- Joe Yamanaka dies on August 7.[3]
References
- "Oricon announces 2011's yearly ranking for "Artist Total Sales"!". tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. December 19, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- "Oricon announces full list for "2011 Yearly Album Ranking"". tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. December 19, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- "Popular singer Joe Yamanaka dies at 64". Kyodo News. Retrieved January 23, 2020.