JO1

**JO1** (ジェイオーワン; *Jeiōwan*) is a Japanese boy group formed through the reality competition show *Produce 101 Japan*. The group consists of eleven members: Mamehara Issei, Kawashiri Ren, Kawanishi Takumi, Ohira Shosei, Tsurubo Shion, Shiroiwa Ruki, Sato Keigo, Kimata Syoya, Kono Junki, Kinjo Sukai, and Yonashiro Sho. They are currently being managed by Lapone Entertainment, a joint company between Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ E&M, and is slated to be a permanent group.

The group debuted with the single *Protostar* on March 4, 2020, and is set to release their first studio album *The Star* on November 25, 2020.

## History

### Pre-debut: Formation through *Produce 101 Japan*

*Main Article: Produce 101 Japan*

JO1 was formed through the Japanese version of the South Korean reality competition show *Produce 101* titled *Produce 101 Japan*, which aired from September 25 to December 11, 2019. A total of 6,000 people auditioned for the show, out of which 101 contestants were chosen. Every male Japanese citizen between the ages of 16 and 30 without any ties to an entertainment company was eligible to apply. Contestants had to go through several rounds of evaluations before the top eleven were chosen by viewers through online voting and announced via live broadcast on TBS. The winners then signed with Lapone Entertainment, a joint company between Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ E&M.

Prior to appearing on the show, several members had already been active in the entertainment industry. Kawashiri Ren attended Very Merry Music School and worked as a professional back-up dancer for artists like SMAP, Dreams Come True, FT Island, Wanna One, LBH, Yamashita Tomohisa, and Pentagon. Shiroiwa Ruki is a former member of Johnny & Associates' trainee group Johnny's Jr. and was part of the voice actor music group Tsukicro in 2017, where he was set to portray the character Hibiya Ruki but he ultimately left the group before their debut.

The group held their first pre-debut fanmeeting on January 31, 2020 at Pacifico Yokohama. They also held another one at Osaka Orix Theater from February 18 to February 20, 2020.

### 2020: Debut with *Protostar* and first studio album *The Star*

Shortly after the end of *Produce 101 Japan*, the group flew to South Korea to train for their debut and record their first single. On December 24, 2020, Mnet denied rumors that the group went to South Korea to debut there and stated that JO1 would mainly promote in Japan and that their debut album would also not include Korean songs.

On January 14, it was revealed that the group's debut single would be titled *Protostar* and that it would be released on March 4 of the same year. *Protostar* was an immediate commercial success, selling more than 320,000 units in the week of its release and peaking at number one on both the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Japan Top Singles Chart. Its title track "Infinity" also peaked at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The song was aired for the first time on February 5, 2020 on J-Wave's radio station *Step One* and they gave their first live performance of it on the NTV morning show *Sukkiri*. *Protostar* was certified Platinum by the RIAJ for surpassing 250,000 copies sold and was also featured in various mid-year rankings, such as Oricon's *2020 Mid-Year Ranking* on June 19 and Billboard Japan's *2020 Mid-Year Top Artists* ranking.

On June 21, 2020, after their performance at KCON:TACT 2020 SUMMER, JO1 announced the release of their second single album *Stargazer* for August 26, 2020. The song "My Friends" was written by member Yonashiro Sho and choreographed by Kawashiri Ren. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon Weekly Chart and the Billboard Japan Japan Top Singles Chart. And like "Infinity", their new title track "OH-EH-OH" ranked first on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Additionally, as both *Protostar* and *Stargazer* ranked first on the Oricon Weekly Chart, they became the first artist to earn two consecutive wins on the chart since Hinatazaka46's "Do Re Mi Sol La Si Do" on July 29, 2019. *Stargazer* was certified Platinum by the RIAJ. On September 5, the group performed as the headliner for the 31st Mynavi Tokyo Girls Collection 2020 Autumn/Winter 2020, the largest fashion event in Japan, at Saitama Super Arena.

The group was also scheduled to perform at KCON 2020 JAPAN's main event *KCON 2020 JAPAN x M COUNTDOWN* on April 4, 2020 at Makuhari Messe. Since the event was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, they instead attended KCON:TACT 2020 SUMMER for a Meet&Greet, making them the first Japanese boy group to ever participate in the convention. They also performed at KCON:TACT Season 2 from October 16 to October 25, 2020.

On October 5, it was announced that JO1 will release their first full-length studio album *The Star* with the title track "Shine a Light" on November 25. They also released the first version of their official lightstick on October 16. The group will also hold their first live streaming concert titled *Starlight* on December 19. On October 30, 2020, won the Rising Star Award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

## Name

The group's name, JO1, was chosen by Lapone Entertainment among all the suggestions given by the viewers through *Produce 101 Japan*'s official website. The name was announced during the final episode of the show.

The "J" in JO1 refers to Japan, the origin of the group, while the "01" stands for the first year of the Reiwa period in which the group was formed.

## Fanclub Name

On January 10, 2020 JO1 announced their fanclub name through their official YouTube channel. Prior to the announcement, fans were allowed to send in their suggestions and the members picked whatever they liked. With over 5,000 people sending in suggestions, there included "JO1s", "&JOY", "Ohash1", "1DER", "JUS1" amongst others.

Their fans are called "JAM" which stands for:

J for "JO1", A for "and", and M for "Me".

"JO1 and Me", meaning "JO1 and the fans".

## Members

* Yonashiro Sho (與那城 奨) - leader
* Kawashiri Ren (川尻 蓮)
* Shiroiwa Ruki (白岩 瑠姫)
* Kono Junki (河野 純喜)
* Sato Keigo (佐藤 景瑚)
* Kawanishi Takumi (川西 拓実)
* Kimata Syoya (木全 翔也)
* Ohira Shosei (大平 祥生)
* Kinjo Sukai (‪金城 碧海)
* Tsurubo Shion (鶴房 汐恩)
* Mamehara Issei (豆原 一成)

## Endorsements

*Main Article: List of brand deals*

On February 1, 2020 JO1 performed at the after party at LVMidosuji Maison in Osaka.

## Trivia

* JO1's fandom name is JAM (JO1 And Me).
* JO1 had to change their greeting from "To the world, to the top!" to "Go to the top, JO1!" due to its similarity to NCT's greeting "To the world, this is NCT!".

## References

1. ↑ Natalie — 「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN」デビューメンバー11人が決定、グループ名はJO1
2. ↑ Fuji TV — 『PRODUCE 101 JAPAN』デビュー組がついに決定！気になるメンバーを徹底紹介
3. ↑ Oricon — 日本版『PRODUCE 101』始動 2020年デビューのグローバルなボーイズグループ選考へ
4. ↑ Produce 101 Japan Season 1 — Official Website PRODUCE 101 JAPAN最終順位公開！
5. ↑ Produce 101 Japan Season 1 — 最終投票START！　あなたの推しMENに投票してください！
6. ↑ Naver News — CJ ENM, 115억 투자해 日최대 엔터사와 합작법인 설립
7. ↑ Very Merry Music School Official Website — 歌もダンスも！ 川尻蓮さん
8. ↑ Tsukicro Official LINE Blog — 【白岩瑠姫】最初で最後？！のLINEブログ
9. ↑ JO1 Official YouTube — 1st Fanmeeting at Pacifico Yokohama (removed, now only available through the official fanclub)
10. ↑ JO1 Official Website — JO1 1ST FANMEETING Details decided! Pre-registration for JO1 Official Fan Club has started!
11. ↑ JO1 1ST FANMEETING @ Osaka Venue Lottery Bonus: Invite "Meet & Greet"
12. ↑ Naver News — 엠넷 "'프듀 재팬' 최종그룹 JO1, 한국 데뷔 계획 없다"
13. ↑ Naver News — "한국 활동은 NO"…日 '프듀' 데뷔조 JO1, 한국서 앨범 준비
14. ↑ Soompi — Mnet Responds To Reports About "Produce 101 Japan" Group JO1 Preparing In Korea Ahead Of Debut
15. ↑ Tower Records Official Website — JO1｜CD｜「PRODUCE 101 JAPAN」から誕生したグローバルグループ！デビューシングル『PROTOSTAR』3月4日発売｜イベント参加応募抽選券封入！
16. ↑ JO1 Official Website — JO1 debut single "PROTOSTAR" singer photos and jacket photos published
17. ↑ JO1 Official Instagram — JO1 「PROTOSTAR」2020.03.04 Debut
18. ↑ Oricon — 週間　シングルランキング. 2020年03月16日付（2020年03月02日～2020年03月08日）(archived)
19. ↑ Billboard Japan — Top Singles Sales. 2020/03/16 付け
20. ↑ Billboard Japan — Hot 100. 2020/03/16 付け
21. ↑ Natalie — JO1デビューシングル曲「無限大」本日初OA、魅力凝縮のアー写＆ジャケ写も公開
22. ↑ JO1 Official Twitter — 2/5(水)J-WAVE(81.3FM)「STEP ONE」
23. ↑ Natalie — JO1が明日「スッキリ」で生パフォーマンス
24. ↑ Recording Industry Association of Japan Official Website — 月次認定作品　認定年月：2020年 3月
25. ↑ Oricon — 【オリコン上半期ランキング2020】乃木坂46、総合で史上初の3年連続首位　SixTONES vs Snow Manは総売上20億円越え
26. ↑ Billboard Japan — 【ビルボード 2020年上半期TOP Artists】Official髭男dismとKing Gnuの大躍進、Mrs. GREEN APPLEジワリ前進（コメントあり）
27. ↑ Billboard Japan — 【ビルボード 2020年上半期TOP Singles Sales】AKB48『失恋、ありがとう』が首位獲得　乃木坂46/Snow Man/SixTONES/日向坂46が続く
28. ↑ Oricon — JO1、2ndシングル「STARGAZER」8・26発売 『KCON:TACT』でサプライズ発表
29. ↑ Oricon — JO1、2ndシングル「STARGAZER」表題曲「OH-EH-OH」フルMVが発売日に解禁
30. ↑ WITH Online — 【JO1が5000人限定配信イベント開催】メンバー挨拶をほぼ全文でレポート！
31. ↑ *Highway Walker* (in Japanese). Hokkaido. September 2020.
32. ↑ Twitter — source: highway walker 09/2020 (better citation needed)
33. ↑ Oricon — 週間　シングルランキング. 2020年09月07日付（2020年08月24日～2020年08月30日）(archived)
34. ↑ Billboard Japan — 【ビルボード】JO1『STARGAZER』初週31万枚でシングルセールス1位、三浦春馬『Night Diver』が2位
35. ↑ Oricon — 11人組ボーイズグループJO1、デビューシングルから2作連続で1位獲得【オリコンランキング】
36. ↑ Recording Industry Association of Japan Official Website — 月次認定作品　認定年月：2020年 8月
37. ↑ Girlswalker Official Website — 2020 Autumn/Winter 2020 Artists
38. ↑ Oricon — 【TGC2020AW】JO1、大トリで圧巻ステージ披露 感慨語る「デビューからちょっとしか経っていないのに…」
39. ↑ JO1 Official Website — "KCON 2020 JAPAN x M COUNTDOWN" 4/4 (Sat) appearance decision
40. ↑ Soompi — Update: KCON 2020 Japan Announces Final Performer Lineup
41. ↑ KCON Japan Official Twitter — #KCON2020JAPAN. 3rd LINE-UP
42. ↑ Soompi — KCON, Stray Kids, Super Junior, And More Postpone Or Cancel Concerts + Events Due To Coronavirus Outbreak
43. ↑ Soompi — Update: KCON:TACT 2020 Announces TXT, Oh My Girl, ATEEZ, ITZY, And More For Final Lineup
44. ↑ Naver News — CJ ENM 측 "'KCON 2020 재팬' 연기 결정, 추후 일정 재논의"(공식입장)
45. ↑ JO1 Official Website — JO1 "KCON: TACT 2020 SUMMER" Meet&Greet appearance decision
46. ↑ Oricon — JO1、『KCON』初出演 日本人ボーイズグループで初の快挙 豆原一成「これからも出続けられるように」
47. ↑ JO1 Official Website — Information on "KCON: TACT season2" appearance decision
48. ↑ JO1 Official Website — 1ST ALBUM "The STAR" to be released on November 25!
49. ↑ JO1 Official Website — JO1 OFFICIAL LIGHT STICK is now on sale! Fan Club Pre-Sales begin on Friday, October 16 at 12:00!
50. ↑ JO1 Official Website — JO1's first online solo live "STARLIGHT" will be held!
51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Natalie — 「MTV VMAJ」米津玄師、あいみょん、King Gnu、ジェネ、BABYMETAL、DISH//、NiziU、JO1ら受賞
52. ↑ Produce 101 Japan Season 1 Official Website — 勝ち残った11名のグループ名は『JO1』に決定！
53. ↑ *YouTube* *Our Fan name has been decided (僕たちのファンネームが決定しました！)* (Jan 10, 2020)
54. ↑ *Louis Vuitton Twitter* (Feb 1, 2020)
55. ↑ Natalie — JO1、甘酸っぱい恋と青春描く音声ドラマで恋の相手役に
56. ↑ Gakken — 【速報!!】JO1メンバー11人が、恋と青春の音声ドラマに出演決定!!　「５分後の隣のシリーズ」新刊購読者だけの特典音声ブック
57. ↑ Soompi — "Produce 101 Japan" Group JO1 To Change Greeting Due To Similarity With NCT's
58. ↑ SportsQ — '프로듀스 101 재팬' JO1, 인사법부터 티저까지 케이팝 표절 의혹?