This week, NEWS topped the Oricon single chart with their new single “Hikari no Shizuku / Touch”, selling 148,221 copies in its first week.

miwa topped the Oricon album chart with her new best album “miwa ballad collection ~graduation~”, selling 32,618 copies in its first week.

This week on Recochoku, Kiritani Kenta as Urashima Taro returned to the top of the chart with “Umi no Koe.” The song was previously #1 on Recochoku the week of 12/2 – 12/8.

On iTunes, AI topped the chart with her new digital single, “Minna ga Minna Eiyuu.”

The 2016 Summer Olympics take place this August in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, with the 2016 Summer Paralympics following a month after. During the closing ceremonies for each event, there will be a flag handover ceremony in which Rio will handover the Olympic flag to the city that will host both events in 2020, Tokyo.

After an executive board meeting of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizers on Monday, a group of 8 were announced as production consultants for the handover ceremony. The group includes include choreographer Mikiko, former synchronized swimming Olympian and Tokyo Games ambassador Mikako Kotani, Paralympic shooter Aki Taguchi, and Shiina Ringo.

Earlier this month we reported on pop-rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN’s upcoming album “Butterflies”, which is set to release in two weeks on February 10th.  Now the band have chosen to publish the music video for the record’s title track “Butterfly” to their official Youtube channel, giving fans a taste of what the album will have to offer.

“Butterfly” follows in the footsteps of BUMP’s recent works while also adding new elements to the group’s classic sound, most notably their first attempt at an EDM-influenced melody.  The PV, which was directed by frequent collaborator Toshi Atsunori, features the use of an impressive number of brightly colored lasers reflecting off of a mirrored ceiling and floor, making it seem as though the band is surrounded by light as they perform.

You’ll find the full version of this eye-catching music video just below the cut, so please don’t hesitate to read on and take a peek.

On January 27, Ame no Parade will release their new single, “Tokyo.” It is a Tower Records limited release. It will also be the band’s last release on indie label Zankyo Record.

Ame no Parade has been signed to major label Victor Entertainment’s sub-label SPEEDSTAR RECORDS. They will be making their major label debut on March 2 with their first full album, “New generation.” The title stems from the band wanting to continue to be part of a new generation of bands that are opening up a new era in Japanese music. The album will include new material, as well as some songs from their indie era.

Today, Ame no Parade released the music video for “Tokyo.” It was directed by Mitch Nakano, who has previously worked on ads for American Apparel. The video is a mixture of clips of Ame no Parade performing the song and clips of the song’s namesake city. Check it out after the jump, along with more information on the single!

In a surprising announcement, alternative rock band Galileo Galilei have revealed that the group will be disbanding following the completion of their upcoming concert tour in April.  As such their new album “Sea and The Darkness”, which is set to release this week on January 27th, will be the band’s final record together.

In their comment regarding the decision, the members compared the band to a “beloved toy car” that was never meant to surmount the concrete slopes they attempted to drive it on.  Though they love it still, now that they are all adults they have decided that it is time to leave this particular toy behind.  While no announcements have yet been made regarding their future activities as individuals, all three feel optimistic about the path ahead and look forward to enjoying the remainder of their time together.

Read on below to find both the track list for their final album “Sea and The Darkness” and the promotional video for its lead track “Wednesday”.

Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw AKB48 win against BOYS AND MEN and Hoshino Gen. This week, we have 3 newcomers, 2 of which have songs from years ago. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the physical and digital charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!

This week’s guests were Little Glee Monster, GLIM SPANKY, and Blu-BiLLioN.

Little Glee Monster – Suki da.

GLIM SPANKY – Wild Side wo Ike

Blu-BiLLioN – S.O.S.