Arashi Storm Oricon Charts Yet Again

The success of Arashi's latest single shows that they are the hottest Johnny's Jimusho act these days. It's no surprise that their 26th single, "Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon-Kimi Wa Muteki," entered the Oricon chart at No.1, the group's 15th consecutive chart topper since February 2004. But it has also sold over half a million copies in its first week, as did their previous release "Believe/Kumori Nochi Kaisei" in March. The last artist to manage those numbers twice in a row was the hugely popular Southern All Stars vocalist Kuwata Keisuke in 2001. Arashi debuted in 1999 and their popularity has been broadened by their appearances on variety shows, dramas and major movies.