2011 in Japanese music

The following is an overview of the year 2011 in Japanese music. It includes notable awards, lists of number-ones, yearly best-sellers, albums released, groups established and disestablished, deaths of notable Japanese music-related people as well as any other relevant Japanese music-related events. For overviews of the year in music from other countries, see 2011 in music.

Events

May 31 – July 18 – The First Japan Arena Tour (Girls' Generation)
December 31 – 62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Awards

June 25 – 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
December 30 – 53rd Japan Record Awards

Number-ones

Best-sellers

Artists

The following is a list of the 5 best-selling music artists in Japan in 2011 by value of sales, including sales of records and of DVDs and Blu-rays, according to Oricon.

Rank	Artist	Value
1	AKB48
2	Arashi
3	Exile
4	Kara
5	Shōjo Jidai

Albums

The following is a list of the top 10 best-selling albums in Japan in 2011, according to Oricon.

Rank	Album	Artist	Copies
1	Beautiful World	Arashi	907,589
2	Koko ni Ita Koto	AKB48	829,645
3		Exile	743,242
4	Born This Way	Lady Gaga	658,554
5	Girls' Generation	Shōjo Jidai	642,054
6	Checkmate!	Namie Amuro	484,336
7	Super Girl	Kara	450,595
8		Keisuke Kuwata	414,725
9		SMAP	413,943
10	Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection	Ikimono-gakari	397,459

Albums released

The following section includes albums by Japanese artists released in Japan in 2011 as well as Japanese-language albums by foreign artists released in the country during this year.

January 19 – Eight by Do As Infinity
January 26 – Go by Girugamesh
February 23 – by Keisuke Kuwata
March 9 – by Exile
March 23 – Brand-new idol Society by BiS
March 30 – 7 Berryz Times by Berryz Kobo
April 27 – Checkmate! by Namie Amuro
June 1 – Cherish by Seiko Matsuda
June 1 – Girls' Generation by Girls' Generation
June 8 – Echo by Nothing's Carved in Stone
June 8 – Koko ni Ita Koto by AKB48
July 6 – Beautiful World by Arashi
July 20 – Luv Songs by Che'Nelle
July 27 – C'mon by B'z
August 3 – Dum Spiro Spero by Dir En Grey
August 10 – Baby Action by Scandal
August 17 – by SMAP
September 21 – After Eden by Kalafina
September 28 - DocumentaLy by Sakanaction
November 17 – Fight by Kanjani Eight
November 23 – Super Girl by Kara
November 30 – Republic of 2PM by 2PM
December 7 – Memories by Garnet Crow

Deaths

Yoshiko Tanaka dies on April 21 from Breast Cancer.
Joe Yamanaka dies on August 7.