ILLIT to debut in Japan with first single ‘Toki Yo Tomare’ in September

ILLIT to make official Japan debut in September. Yonhap

K-pop girl group ILLIT will officially debut in Japan this September, furthering its growing popularity in both Korea and Japan.

According to agency Belift Lab on Monday, ILLIT’s first Japanese single “Toki Yo Tomare,” which means “Time, Please Stop,” will be released digitally on Sept. 1, with the physical album following on Sept. 3.

The single album will feature four tracks: two new songs; a Japanese version of “Do the Dance,” the title track from their third EP; and “Almond Chocolate,” ILLIT’s first Japanese original song that went viral after its release in February.

A teaser poster, filled with ILLIT’s signature whimsical, girlish energy, features props like a magic wand in a drawer and a ribbon-adorned clock.

Despite not having officially debuted in Japan yet, ILLIT has already made waves in the country. Their debut song “Magnetic” was a major hit on local charts throughout last year.

They also won the Rookie of the Year Award at the 66th Japan Record Awards, the first K-pop girl group to do so in 13 years.

The group’s momentum continues to build. Their third EP, “bomb,” released last month, surpassed previous first-week sales on its first day and landed at the top of major Japanese album charts.

“Almond Chocolate” has amassed over 50 million streams on the Oricon chart as of July 7, making it the most-streamed track by a foreign female artist released in Japan in the first half of 2025.

To mark their Japanese debut, ILLIT will hold a fan concert series titled “2025 ILLIT GLITTER DAY IN JAPAN.” The concerts will take place over four nights: Aug. 10-11 at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama and Sept. 3-4 at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka.

General admission tickets have sold out, highlighting the group’s strong ticket power and growing fanbase.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.