Girl group SKE48 is back with their very first single of 2019. “FRUSTRATION” is the groups 25th single overall. This will be the first single to feature the groups 9th generation, and the first to have member Nao Furuhata as the center.

The girls are perhaps doing Gods work by attempting to revive the 90s – 00s “J-urban” craze with this release. “FRUSTRATION” features a combination of of the genre along with standard idol pop, creating a tune perfect for summer time. Accompanying the girls are two unidentified rappers. While the two genres together aren’t really a rarity, it’s a new direction for SKE48.

Arashi‘s latest BEST album “5 x 20″ has been flying off store shelves, literally! The nation’s boygroup has sold over 1.3 million copies in just 1 week of sales. This grants them the highest first week sales for a Japanese album in the entire decade, surpassing Namie Amuro‘s last album “Finally” which moved 1.1 million units in it’s first week.

It’s been 16 years and 6 months since a male artist has sold over a million copies in one week with an album. The last male artist to do so was CHEMISTRY with their 2003 studio album “Second to None”.

Denki Groove member Takkyu Ishino shared on his official Twitter account that he would be quitting Sony Music Artists, otherwise known as SMA. In response a statement was put on the groups official website stating that Takkyu’s contract with Sony was terminated on June 30th.

Earlier in the month news broke that Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates, was rushed to the hospital. Days passed and no official statement had been released from his office. Media gathered at the hospital Johnny was taken to, but he was then transferred to another medical facility without acknowledging the media, which lead to a lot of speculation.

With the rumor mill going wild perhaps the most popular one was that he had actually passed away. Prominent television shows and newspapers also did not report on the topic in general, clearly forbidden by Johnny’s office.

Other prominent rumors were that Johnny had a stroke, and that veteran Johnny’s members such as KinKi Kids member Tsuyoshi Domoto, TOKIO’s Tomoya Nagase, and Masahiro Nakai were planning to leave the agency.

A brand new advertising campaign for the legendary Japanese skincare line SK-II has gone viral. At the helm of the campaign is comedian Naomi Wantanabe.

The CM itself is specifically promoting the “PITERA” technology, derived from a natural fermentation process made out of various minerals, organic acids, amino acids, and vitamins. Their most famous item is the “SK-II Facial Treatment Essence”, which depending on the size will set you back $99-299 USD.

Diva-in-the-making Kalen Anzai continues to mesh the sound of early 2000s J-Pop with a retro vision of the future with the release of the music video for her second single “Dareka no Raise no Yume Demo ii“.

Only releasing her debut effort “Sekai no Subete Teki ni Kanjite Kodoku sae Aishiteita” just one month ago, Anzai delivers yet another high-quality production. The music video for “Dareka no Raise no Yume Demo ii” is a visual treat with its cyberpunk and vaporwave driven aesthetic, and acts as the second part of Anzai’s Immersive Society 3.0 release trilogy.

It’s been a very long and grueling 4 months, but Maki Goto has finally made her return to the public eye! Back in March 2019 she made headlines for the wrong reason, when it was revealed she was intimately playing Monster Hunter with someone who was not her husband.

By the time news of the cheating broke out, Maki and her husband had already resolved the issue between them. Despite that, it made the rounds on every news website bringing a lot of attention to the relationship. In response she posted an apology on her official blog, while explaining the situation a bit more.

On June 28th, 2019 BABYMETAL held their first solo concert of the year in their native Japan. “BABYMETAL AWAKENS -THE SUN ALSO RISES- ” took place to a packed crowd at the Yokohama arena.

Joining the duo on stage was a very special guest, former Morning Musume member Riho Sayashi. She wasn’t officially introduced at the concert, but her identity was eventually verified by various news sites. On stage she took the spot of YUIMETAL, who withdrew from the group last year due to various health concerns.