It’s that Japanese sales time of the week again, and in the land where the sun rises and the PSP consistently outsells all other consoles it’s Nintendo pretty much all the way in the software top ten.

Yes indeed, in spite of continuing massive sales for the PSP the Japanese top ten is dominated by Nintendo titles, with Mario Kart Wii taking top honours and Wii Fit doing spectacular business – more than 2 million sold to date. Sickening, isn’t it?

But enough of our envy and continuing inability to locate a copy of the damned thing in UK retail. Here’s how the Japanese software chart looks for the week ending May 11, as reported by Media Create. First number is the weekly sales, second is lifetime total (check out Wii Sports too):

1. Mario Kart Wii(Wii) - 107,000 / 1,227,000
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 82,000 / 1,992,000
3. Wii Fit (Wii) - 53,000 / 2,039,000
4. Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) - 49,000 / 141,000
5. Taiko Drum Master DS! Adventure of 7 Islands (DS) - 34,000 / 133,000
6. Pokémon Ranger Batonage (DS) - 27,000 / 535,000
7. Deca Sporta (Wii) - 22,000 / 207,000
8. Wii Sports (Wii) - 21,000 / 2,979,000
9. We're Fossil Diggers (DS) - 17,000 / 102,000
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 16,000 / 1,620,000

Meanwhile the hardware race has been won by the PSP, all thanks to the enduring but oh-so perplexing popularity of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. We doubt the game would even trouble the top forty if released over here, but that’s cultural differences for you. Otherwise Nintendo edges it in terms of total portfolio sales and Xbox 360 sales are, as ever, practically quantum. Witness:

1. PSP – 89,884
2. Wii – 67,308
3. DS – 51,228
4. PS3 – 8054
5. PS2 – 7464
6. Xbox 360 – 1298