Anti-war songs that pierce the heart: Japan’s masterpieces conveying prayers for peace
Music sometimes has the power to move people’s hearts and exert a great influence on society.
Among such works, anti-war songs imbued with wishes for peace have appealed across generations, conveying both the horrors of war and the preciousness of peace to many.
The anti-war songs etched into Japan’s musical history contain profound messages that we who live today must never forget.
In this article, we highlight Japanese anti-war songs—focusing mainly on popular Japanese music—and explain the backgrounds of the tracks and the sentiments embedded in their lyrics.
We invite you to take this opportunity to reflect anew on war and peace.
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Anti-war songs that pierce the heart: Prayers for peace conveyed by Japan’s masterpieces (21–30)
ImagineJohn Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon’s famous song “Imagine,” known to all, was released in 1971.
It envisions a world without nations, religion, conflict, or possessiveness, and appeals that if everyone strives for that ideal, the world can change.
Cherished as a song about peace and love for humanity, it has at times been banned from broadcast due to criticism that it is too communist.
What the dead man left behindSakushi: Tanikawa Shuntarō / Sakkyoku: Takemitsu Tōru
This is a work for unaccompanied choir with lyrics by Shuntaro Tanikawa and music by Toru Takemitsu.
It was created in 1965 for a “citizens’ rally for peace in Vietnam.” Characterized by its simple structure and strongly message-driven lyrics, it has been covered by a wide range of singers across genres and is frequently performed at classical concerts.
About happinesssadamasashi
An introspective ballad by Masashi Sada imbued with a fervent prayer for peace.
The quiet piano and solemn strings leave a strong impression.
The question “Are you happy?” posed again and again pierces deeply into the hearts of those of us living in peaceful times.
Released in May 1982 as the theme song for the film “The Tower of Himeyuri,” which depicts the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa, the song also became familiar as a commercial jingle for Duskin, spreading its universal message widely.
It’s a work that makes us reconsider just how precious our ordinary, everyday lives truly are.
angina pectorisRADWIMPS
Among RADWIMPS’ songs, this one is famous for prompting reflection on world peace and war.
The world we live in now feels peaceful and comfortable for us—but somewhere, conflict still rages and lives are being lost.
The lyrics force us to confront that painful yet inescapable reality, and it’s impossible not to be moved.
The heavy, oppressive instrumentation and Yojiro Noda’s soul-baring, almost screaming vocal delivery make this a particularly memorable track.
dogwood (flowering dogwood)Hitoto Yo
This song—famous for the story that it was created after receiving an email from a friend who was in the U.S.
at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks—is one of singer-songwriter Yo Hitoto’s signature tracks.
Its lyrics, written in gentle words that wish for a loved one’s happiness, are truly beautiful.
Reading those lyrics makes you feel, from the bottom of your heart, that you want a world without war where we can live in peace forever.
Please listen to it while thinking of someone dear to you.
Island SongTHE BOOM
Shimauta,” the signature song by THE BOOM, a band from Okinawa, is now so famous it appears in school textbooks.
It was composed based on harrowing episodes from Okinawa, which became a battlefield during World War II.
I can only hope that as this song continues to be sung, the fact that so many lives were lost will never fade from memory.
IMAGINEImawano Kiyoshirō
Speaking of songs that wish for peace, John Lennon’s “Imagine” comes to mind.
This is a Japanese rendition of “Imagine” sung by the beloved rock singer Kiyoshiro Imawano, who sadly passed away in 2009.
There’s a message that truly resonates because it’s sung by artists who genuinely believed in and wished for love and peace.
