Sega saw its new PSP release J-League Pro Soccer Club! 7: Euro + plant itself firmly at the top of the Japanese software sales charts last week, while Nintendo and Bandai Namco dominated the rest of the top 20.

According to data from tracking firm Media Create, and as posted on NeoGAF, the soccer title sold 101,022 units in total, knocking Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven for Wii off the top, having been there for the last two weeks. However, Rhythm Heaven still held strong at number four.

Other than the top spot, Nintendo and Namco Bandai claimed the entire top 10, with Namco Bandai's new releases All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation, Toriko: Gourmet Survival and Family Fishing taking up high positions.

Nintendo has two new releases in the top 10, Kirby Mass Attack at number two and Epic Mickey at number six. Old releases such as Wii Sports Resort and Wii Play: Motion continued to sell well.

Other new releases in the charts last week included StormLover Karen!! from DS Publisher at number 11, Starfish's Elminage III: Ankoku no Shito to Yaiyou no Kyuuden at 16 and Marvelous' Half-Minute Hero Second at 17.

The complete top 20 chart, as supplied by Media Create, is shown below.

Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven for the Wii sat at the top of the Japanese software sales charts last week, for the second week running. According to data from tracking firm Media Create, and as posted on NeoGAF, the game stayed at number one despite a decline in sales to 81,938 units sold from 118,173 in the previous week.

There were five new entries into the Japanese charts, with Bandai Namco's Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos and Atlus' Devil Survivor 2 settling in nicely at numbers two and three respectively.

Elsewhere, newcomers Hakuouki: Reimeiroku Portable and Operation Flashpoint: Red River entered at numbers 10 and 11, while Square Enix saw its Dungeon Siege III jump into the charts at number 18.

Nintendo continued to dominate the lower end of the top 20, with Wii Play: Motion, Pokemon Black / White, Ocarina of Time 3D, Wii Party and GoldenEye 007 all sitting comfortably.

Konami's Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 also held steady, with the PS3 and PSP versions at positions seven and nine respectively.

The complete top 20 chart, as supplied by Media Create, is shown below.

Rhythm Heaven for Nintendo's Wii -- the latest in a series of rhythm games that started in 2006 -- was the top-selling game in Japan last week, providing a rare boost for the aging console.  In all the game sold 118,173 copies, according to figures provided by tracking firm Media Create (as translated on the NeoGAF forums), which may have contributed to a slight boost in Wii hardware sales, at 17,114 units from 14,237 the previous week.

Capcom's Sengoku Basara: Chronicle Heroes, the latest in a Capcom's domestically popular series of action games that has spawned two series and an upcoming feature film, came in second place at 82,798.

Marvelous and Grasshopper Manufacture's No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition for the PlayStation 3 premiered at number 3. Its 40,313 sales is a respectable figure, considering that the game -- a port of the 2007 Wii game No More Heroes -- is merely an enhanced version of last year's No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise that adds a handful of new features and PlayStation Move motion control support.

Premiering at number 8 is Atlus' Nora to Toki no Koubou: Kiri no Mori no Majo (roughly Nora and the Time Studio: The Witch of the Foggy Forest), an RPG for the Nintendo DS that is not currently scheduled for release outside of the region.

The complete top twenty chart, which include the Japanese debuts of Western-focused titles Alice: Madness Returns and Sniper: Ghost Warrior, follows:

Over in the hardware arena, Nintendo's 3DS console held onto the top of the hardware sales charts in Japan this week, although it did see a hefty drop in sales from last week.

Konami's Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 topped the Japanese software sales charts in its debut week, while the majority of the top 10 was new software last week. For the week ended July 17, according to data from Media Create and as reported by Andriasang, the PlayStation 3 version of the sports game sold a total on 117,759 units, while the PSP version had to settle for fourth place with 73,247 units.

Namco Bandai's Taiko Drum Master Portable DX entered the charts at number two with 80,215 units sold, and Level-5 added another entry to the top 20 with its Inazuma Eleven Strikers at number three.

Nintendo's highly anticipated N64 remake Star Fox 64 3D hit Japan this week, but only managed to reach number six in the charts, just missing out on position five to Sega's Puyo Puyo!!.

However, Nintendo continued to dominate the charts with five entries in the top 20, and Pokemon Company's Black and White still sitting high at number 11.

Below is Media Create's top 20 sales chart for the week ended July 17, 2011.

L.A. Noire Is Japan’s Bestselling Game, Just One of Many Western Successes

Japan's hottest game right now is not made in Japan, which doesn't happen often. Maybe more surprising is that four of the top 10 games on the country's bestseller list weren't made in Japan either.

Rockstar Games and Team Bondi's L.A. Noire enjoyed first place distinction in this week's software chart, with more than 70,000 copies of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game sold overseas. Team Bondi's detective adventure was followed by Sucker Punch's Infamous 2 and Vicious Cycle's Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, the latter of which was previously handled by Japanese developer Sandlot.

One new Wii game charted, the Wii MotionPlus powered Wii Play Motion with another Wii game, the also not made in Japan Goldeneye 007 hanging tough in the top ten.

For the rest of the bestselling games in Japan for the week of July 4 to July 10, courtesy of sales tracker Media Create, read on.

01. L.A. Noire (PS3) - 58,426 / NEW
02. Infamous 2 (PS3) - 33,474 / NEW
03. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (PS3) - 30,189 / NEW
04. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (Xbox 360) - 17,817 / NEW
05. Wii Play Motion (Wii) - 17,008 / NEW
06. Cardboard Senki (PSP) - 15,807 / 244,790
07. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) - 14,985 / 240,738
08. Steins;Gate (PSP) - 13,700 / 99,088
09. Goldeneye 007 (Wii) - 13,216 / 49,390
10. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 12,877 / 388,074

More after the break..

Bandai Namco's Tales of the Abyss launched at the top of the Japanese software sales charts this week, while the top 20 saw 11 new entries in total. For the week ended July 3, 2011, data from tracking firm Media Create and translated by Andriasang saw the PS3 version of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition enter the charts at number two, while the Xbox 360 edition settled for number 12.

Aqua Plus' PSP title To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers entered the charts at number three with 37,396 in total, while other new Japanese titles included Mashiro Iro Symphony: Mutsu-no-hana, Moujuutsukai to Oujisama Portable and Kaidan Restaurant: Zoku! Shin Menu 100-Sen.

Nintendo's GoldenEye 007 was released in Japan this week, jumping into the charts at number four, while CyberFront's Test Drive: Unlimited 2 managed positions 11 and 19 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions respectively.

Last week's top dogs Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3 and Steins;Gate fell six places each to numbers seven and eight. Bandai Namco's Gundam: Memories of the Battle fell a little further, down from position three to 11 this week.

Below is Media Create's top 20 sales chart for the week ended July 3, 2011.

Gust's Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3 sat atop the Japanese software sales charts last week, with a slew of new titles entering the charts.

For the week ended June 26, 2011, according to Media Create, and as reported by NeoGAF, the PS3 title sold 82,585 copies in total, while Kadokawa Shoten's PSP game Steins;Gate had to settle for second place with 63,558.

Other new editions to the top 20 included Gundam: Memories of the Battle at number three, Prince of Tennis Gyutto! Doki-Doki Survival - Survival Umi to Yama no Love at six, and Bleach: Soul Ignition at eight. In total, half of the top 20 was new releases.

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D fell a few places to position five with 37,452 total sales. Last week's number one, Level-5's Little Battler Xperience, also fell a few, now sitting at number four with 38,326. Many of Nintendo's titles continued to sit firmly in the charts, with the likes of Wii Sports, Pokemon Black and White, Wii Party and Mario Kart also hanging around the bottom end.

Below is Media Create's top 20 sales chart for the week ended June 26, 2011.

According to numbers provided by tracking firm Media Create (as translated on NeoGAF), the 3DS sold 40,649 units for the week ending June 19, beating out the PSP's 31,796.

An anime tie-in called Little Battler Experience being released by Professor Layton publisher Level-5 took the top spot, while Zelda was the second-best selling game of the week, pushing a healthy 164,110 units for Nintendo.

Rounding out the software top five were Sega's Yakuza: Of The End for the PSP at number 3 with 53,755 copies sold, 5pb's visual novel sequel Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling for the Xbox 360 at number 4 with 31,666 copies, and a double pack containing the Steins;Gate sequel and its predecessor at number 5 with 11,041 sold.

Media Create Sales: Week 24, 2011 (Jun 13 - Jun 19)

01. / 00. [PSP] Little Battler Xperience (Level 5) {2011.06.16} - 166.187 / NEW
02. / 00. [3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo) {2011.06.16} - 164.110 / NEW
03. / 01. [PS3] Yakuza: Of the End (Sega) {2011.06.09} - 53.775 / 352.492 (-82%)
04. / 00. [360] Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling # (5pb.) {2011.06.16} - 31.666 / NEW
05. / 00. [360] Steins;Gate: Double Pack (5pb.) {2011.06.16} - 11.041 / NEW
06. / 02. [3DS] Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom) {2011.06.02} - 9.062 / 83.405 (-42%)
07. / 04. [NDS] Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 - Professional (Square Enix) {2011.03.31} - 7.997 / 538.020 (-24%)
08. / 03. [NDS] Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS (Pokemon Co.) {2011.04.21} - 6.609 / 137.421 (-42%)
09. / 07. [WII] Wii Party (Nintendo) {2010.07.08} - 6.556 / 1.917.752 (+5%)
10. / 05. [3DS] One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP (Bandai Namco) {2011.05.26} - 6.549 / 112.174 (-22%)

Sega's Yakuza: Of the End stormed the Japanese software sales charts last week, selling more units than the rest of the top 20 combined, according to Media Create sales tracking.

For the week ended June 12, Neogaf has posted the charts which saw Capcom's Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D continue to sell firmly, with 58,792 copies. This couldn't compare, however, to the 298,717 copies of Yakuza sold. Both Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 - Professional stuck to their respective number three and four spots, while last week's high ranking 3DS title One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP fell to number five.

Elsewhere, new additions included Gekiatsu!! Pachi Game Tamashi Portable Vol. 1: CR Evangelion - Shinjitsu no Tsubasa at number six, with Volume 2 taking up position at number 20. Red Faction: Armageddon on PlayStation 3 was also a newcomer, and entered the charts at number nine with 5,436 copies sold.

Nintendo continued to dominate the lower half of the chart, with the likes of Wii Sports Resort, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit Plus all sitting comfortably.

Below is Media Create's top 20 sales chart for the week ended June 12, 2011.

Fully half of the top 20 selling Japanese games in Japan for the week ending May 29 are new releases, led by Namco Bandai's anime/manga-licensed 3DS game One Piece: Ultimate Cruise SP. One Piece sold more than the next two newcomers to the list combined; Koei Tecmo's Warriors: Legends of Troy on the PS3 and Nintendo's Pandora's Tower: Until I Return to Your Side on the Wii, which finished second and third respectively.

Koei Tecmo scored another premiere on the sales charts with fifth place Nobunaga's Ambition: Way of Heaven on the PS3, while Bandai Namco's Treasure Report represents the company's second debut on this week's chart.

Other premieres on this week's chart include 5pb.'s Memories Off on the PSP at 13th, GameOn's Red Stone on the Nintendo DS at 14th and Gust's Atelier Totori: The Alchemist of Arland 2 for PS3 in 18th.

Last week's top seller Akiba's Trip dropped to fourth place this week, while 3DS fighter Dead or Alive: Dimensions dropped precipitously from second place to 17th this week.

Below is Media Create's top 20 sales chart for the week ended May 29, 2011.

More after the break..