Japan is back within the Billboard Top 100, 23 years later!

Of course, we owe the end of this long absence to Utada..

In the American Billboard 200 charts of May 30, This Is The One, Utada's album, which was released on May 12th in the United States, ranked 69th. It has been 23 years since a Japanese artist last ranked within the top 100 of the Billboard 200! LOUDNESS precisely ranked 64th with their album Lightning Strikes in 1986. Utada is the 7th Japanese artist of all time to enter the Billboard TOP100. Besides LOUDNESS, she comes after Kyuu Sakamoto, Isao Tomita, Tsutomu Yamashita, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Yôko Ono.

And also...

• > school food punishment's second single (2009-05-24)
• > Japan is back within the Billboard Top 100, 23 years later! (2009-05-23)
• > Maria bets on quantity to make herself known (2009-05-23)
• > SPEED's re-arranged best album (2009-05-22)
• > Spontania x Sotte Bosse collaboration (2009-05-21)
• > Sony does spring cleaning: goodbye the brilliant green, Sowelu, Mai Hoshimura and KCB ! (2009-05-21)
• > EXILE's new summer single (2009-05-21)
• > Details about Kumi Koda's new single: 3 SPLASH (2009-05-21)
• > Chihiro Onitsuka's new ballad (2009-05-20)
• > Chara's single and DVD (2009-05-19)
• > After singing sunflowers, Yuusuke sings dandelions (2009-05-17)
• > New single of Kumi Koda who wants to be licked (2009-05-16)
• > Hikaru Utada to sing the Evangelion 2.0 theme song (2009-05-16)
• > Sweet Vacation's first album (2009-05-15)
• > CD Shop Taishou: discover the Japanese record dealers' favourites (2009-05-15)
• > ALEX leaves ONE OK ROCK: no forgiveness (2009-05-14)
• > avex unveils its new recruit: Yuka Kagiyama (2009-05-13)
• > Remioromen ends their tour with the announcement of their new single (2009-05-12)
• > Shoko Nakagawa's ninth single in July (2009-05-11)
• > the generous uses the Superfly method (2009-05-11)
• > 80_pan's split (2009-05-11)
• > Tetsuya Komuro given a 3-years' jail suspended sentence (2009-05-11)
• > Hikaru Utada's new (?) Japanese single (2009-05-10)
• > Perfume's third album (2009-05-09)
• > SHINee following in Tohoshinki's footsteps in Japan (2009-05-09)