Here’s the Japanese entertainer most followed on Instagram: Yuta from K-pop band NCT 127

Instagram leaders of Japanese nationality

When it comes to popular Instagram accounts owned by Japanese nationals, many people usually think of actress, comedian and fashion designer Naomi Watanabe, who has over 9.36 million followers, or Bangladeshi-Japanese fashion model and TV personality Rola, who has 6.47 million followers.

As for male celebrities, many people may think of singer, actor, and TV host Tomohisa Yamashita, a.k.a. Yamapi. Formerly affiliated with Johnny & Associates but now signed to Sony Music and Japan and expecting to make his Hollywood debut this year in The Man from Toronto alongside Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson, he has 4.92 million followers. Another candidate is actor and model Kento Yamazaki, who has 4.17 million followers.

The current king

But while Yamapi's numbers are impressive, he's not number one. That distinction belongs to Yuta (Yuta Nakamoto 中本悠太), who has 4.93 million followers as of February 26.

When he was a freshman in high school, Yuta (in Hangul 유타) moved to Korea by himself to pursue a career as a singer. His efforts paid off, and now he's a member of the South Korean boys band NCT 127.

As many readers may know, NCT 127 has become internationally famous, ranking 5th on the US Billboard 200 chart and 2nd on the Artist 100 chart. The comment section of his Instagram account is filled with supportive comments in various languages.

The popularity of Yuta and his group, NCT 127, is currently skyrocketing in Japan, and their original Japanese mini-album "LOVEHOLIC," released on February 17th, ranked No. 1 in the Oricon Weekly Album Ranking.

His radio show "YUTA at Home," which started last December on InterFM 897, is also doing well, with the program's hashtag trending on Twitter every week.

YUTA and NCT 127 have been featured on the covers of popular magazines such as Men's Nonno and ELLE Japon, and continue to attract attention from Japanese media.