Sazae-san continued its reign as Japan's most-watched animated program, drawing a 6.9% household rating on Fuji TV Sunday evenings. The classic comedy, which has aired since 1969, remains a fixture in Japanese households and shows no signs of slowing down as summer settles in.

Following close behind was Chibi Maruko-chan at 4.9%, another long-running staple that airs in the early evening family slot. Both shows demonstrate the enduring appeal of established series in Japan's television landscape.

Among newer content, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 3 led the pack with a 2.6% rating during its late-night Friday airing on NTV. The isekai series continues to draw consistent viewership despite its challenging time slot, competing against other late-night programming.

Other notable performers included Doraemon (2.5%), One Piece (2.5%), and a Demon Slayer rebroadcast (2.2%). Detective Conan took the week off and didn't air an episode on July 4, while a Solitary Gourmet live-action marathon on TV Tokyo pulled 3.8% on Wednesday.

Two new shows debuted during the week: Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (2.1%) and Draw This, Then Die! (1.8%), both landing in late-night slots aimed at older audiences. While their initial numbers are modest, late-night premieres typically build viewership over time as word spreads among fans.

It's important to note that these ratings represent only live viewership in Japan's Kanto region and don't account for streaming, recordings watched later, or international audiences—factors that have become increasingly significant for anime viewership patterns. Still, traditional broadcast ratings remain a key metric for understanding what resonates with Japanese television audiences.

The data reflects a familiar pattern: established franchises with multigenerational appeal dominate prime-time slots, while newer series stake their claims in late-night programming where they can build dedicated fanbases before potentially expanding to better time slots.