Monster Hunter continues to do Capcom proud in Japan.  The action RPG franchise spawned Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, last year's best-selling title for both the country and Sony's PlayStation Portable.  It's no stretch to say that MHP 2nd G was a major reason Sony remains a dominant competitor to Nintendo for the increasingly lucrative portable gaming throne in Japan.

The MHP 2nd G gravy train shows no signs of stopping for Capcom.  While the title has not yet reached million-seller status this year, its lifetime-to-date sales have now surpassed 3.5 million units.  Capcom boasts that MHP 2nd G is the first PSP game to reach this milestone, at least in Japan.

The original edition of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G was released back in March 2008.  A greatest hits re-release ("PSP the Best") followed months later in October, and sales for this edition alone actually contributed a handsome one million units to the total LTD figure.  MHP 2nd G was recently released in North America and Europe as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, and Capcom is hoping they can make the franchise equally appealing to an international audience- especially when they've got a Monster Hunter 3 localization in the pipeline.

MHP 2nd G's latest sales milestone is Exhibit A in the case for dominance of the portable gaming scene in Japan.  Exhibit B would be Dragon Quest IX's massive number of preorders ahead of its official release this weekend.