Today it was announced that AKB48’s new song “Everyday, Kachuusha” sold 1,334,000 copies in its first week, claiming first place by a wide margin and effectively becoming the highest first-week single sales record in Japan. The record had not been broken since rock band Mr. Children sold 1,208,000 copies of their song “Namonaki Uta” back in 1996. For the idol group, it also marked their eighth consecutive first-week top-seller since “RIVER” in 2009. The last female group that managed to possess such a long-lasting streak was “Pink Lady“, more than 32 years ago. The record sales are directly linked with the impending “3rd Senbatsu General Election“, because every CD contains a unique serial number that allows you to vote for your favorite member in the Internet poll. Member Takahashi Minami commented, “It’s such a big honor for us (to break this record). Everyone knows that it’s all thanks to all of our fans.” Source: Sanspo, Tokyohive
