Mrs. GREEN APPLE's "Lilac" has been awarded the gold prize at this year's JASRAC Awards, Japan's music royalty recognition ceremony. The honor recognizes songs that generated the highest distribution payments through music streaming, karaoke use, and commercial licensing over the past year.

The 44th annual JASRAC Awards ceremony took place on May 20 in Tokyo, honoring songwriters, composers, and music publishers whose works reached the widest audiences across Japan's major entertainment platforms.

Beyond Mrs. GREEN APPLE, the awards highlighted the enduring power of classic J-pop. Hibari Misora's "The Flow of the River" (Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni)—originally released 37 years ago—claimed silver. Composer Akimoto Yasushi remarked in a message read at the ceremony that the song has become a standard performed by countless artists, and receiving this recognition brought him "great joy and gratitude."

Creepy Nuts rounded out the top three with bronze for "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," with the duo noting that increased international tour dates have helped them witness firsthand how widely their music has traveled.

Special guest performer Kiyoshi Hikawa brought the evening to a close with a rendition of "The Flow of the River," calling it one of his favorite songs and praising Hibari's ability to inspire listeners with every word.

Other notable winners included "Naruto Shippuden" composer Koji Takanashi, whose anime soundtrack work received the international award. The foreign works category went to "Bittersweet Samba," penned by Sol Lake.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE's songwriter and frontman Motoki Omori expressed gratitude in a submitted message, pledging to continue creating music without becoming rigid in approach, always prioritizing what excites him. The award caps off another strong year for the Tokyo group, whose "Lilac" has maintained cultural relevance since its release.