Kenshi Yonezu's "IRIS OUT" has continued its remarkable reign atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100, securing its 12th week at No. 1 on the chart released December 31, 2025. This marks the track's second consecutive week in the pole position, underscoring its enduring popularity and significant impact on the Japanese music scene. The song, which serves as the theme for "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc," demonstrated robust gains across all performance metrics during the charting week from December 22 to 28. Streaming and video views each saw a healthy 105% week-over-week increase, while CD sales climbed to 115%. Downloads surged to 120%, radio airplay soared to an impressive 148%, and karaoke performance spiked significantly to 153%, showcasing its widespread engagement among fans.

Further bolstering its visibility, Yonezu garnered considerable attention with the announcement on December 23 of his inaugural live performance of "IRIS OUT" on NHK’s prestigious Kohaku Uta Gassen, which aired on New Year’s Eve. The broadcast segment featuring his performance was subsequently uploaded to the NHK MUSIC YouTube channel, rapidly accumulating over 10.99 million views as of January 7, 2026, further cementing the song's cultural footprint and Yonezu's prominence.

In other significant chart movements, King & Prince made a powerful entry with their track "Theater," debuting at No. 2. This song is the lead single from their latest album, "STARRING," which was released on December 24. Written and composed by Ayumu Imazu, "Theater" exhibited a massive leap, climbing 47 spots to reach the runner-up position. Its success was driven by strong performances across various categories, claiming the No. 1 spot for radio airplay, No. 2 for downloads, No. 3 for streaming, and No. 4 for video views. Another track from the same album, "Kibo no Oka," also made an appearance on the Japan Hot 100, charting at No. 35.

M!LK celebrated a significant milestone as their song "Sukisugite Metsu!" ascended eight places to No. 3, marking the five-member boy band's first-ever entry into the top 3 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The group's performance on CDTV Live! Live! on December 22 undoubtedly contributed to its impressive momentum, with streaming climbing to 139% of the prior week's figures, downloads jumping to 154%, video views rising to 122%, and karaoke experiencing an exceptional spike to 238%. Additionally, another M!LK track, "Iijan," gained traction, moving from No. 77 to No. 62, fueled by growing buzz on social media platforms.

Rounding out the top five, Snow Man’s “CHARISMAX” re-entered the elite group at No. 4, a remarkable return to the top 5 after an absence of approximately three months. Kenshi Yonezu also featured again in the top tier, this time collaborating with Hikaru Utada on “JANE DOE,” which advanced two spots to No. 5. While these tracks dominated the overall chart, other songs led specific metrics: fav me’s “Sukinankaja… Nyai!” was the top song for sales this week, landing at No. 16, and Masaharu Fukuyama’s “Mokusei feat. Koshi Inaba” led in downloads, charting at No. 20. The Billboard Japan Hot 100 meticulously aggregates a comprehensive range of data points, including physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views, and karaoke data, to provide a holistic view of Japan's most popular music. The full chart reflects activity for the week spanning December 22 to 28, and further insights are available via Billboard Japan’s English X account.