BTS's Jimin has swept the Japanese music charts with his digital single 'Closer Than This,' which he participated in writing and composing, showcasing his unwavering popularity even after enlisting. Released on December 22, Jimin's digital single 'Closer Than This' topped the Billboard Japan 'Download Songs' chart dated December 24, just three days after tracking began.
As a result, Jimin became the only foreign artist to top this chart with two Korean songs in a single year, with 'Closer Than This' and the pre-release track 'Set Me Free Pt2' from his album 'FACE.'
Jimin charted 13 songs in 2023 alone on this chart, including five tracks from 'FACE,' 'Like Crazy DHR,' 'Like Crazy UKGR,' his collaboration 'Vibe' with Taeyang, the OST 'Angel' and 'Angel 2' from the movie 'Fast & Furious 10,' his self-composed 'Promise,' 'Christmas Love,' as well as the tvN drama OST 'With You' and the BTS album track 'Filter,' boasting his powerful solo influence with a total of 15 songs entering the charts.
'Closer Than This' also reached 84th on the Billboard Japan 'Hot 100' with just three days of tracking, marking a significant record with a total of six solo songs charting, including 'Like Crazy,' 'Set Me Free Pt2,' 'Vibe,' 'Angel,' 'Closer Than This,' and 'With You.'
In Japan's Oricon chart, Jimin continued his strong performance, ranking first on the 'Daily Digital Single' chart for both the 22nd and 23rd of the month immediately after release, making it the fifth song ('Like Crazy,' 'Set Me Free Pt2,' 'Vibe,' 'Promise,' 'Closer Than This') to reach the top spot, along with 'Filter,' totaling six songs.
Having previously achieved a first for a Korean with 'Set Me Free Pt2' topping both Oricon's daily and weekly charts, Jimin's 'Closer Than This' recorded 1,366 downloads in just two days on the Oricon weekly chart dated January 1st, securing 2nd place and bypassing formidable Japanese artists, bringing the total of his solo songs charted to 14.
On the Hanteo Chart's 4th-week country-specific chart for December, 'Closer Than This' ranked first in Japan with a score of 6816.86, reaffirming Jimin's immense popularity in the region.
Meanwhile, the recently released 'FACE' LP ranked 3rd on the Oricon Daily Chart album ranking dated December 14th, and 'FACE' also climbed to 17th on Oricon's annual album ranking. Throughout 2023, Jimin, who has been actively making his mark, received the first-ever Platinum certification from the Japan Record Association (RIAJ) for a K-pop solo artist for his Korean-language album, continuing his impressive trajectory.
