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.
Smiles to the worldUinzu Hirasaka
It’s a grand message song that wishes to transcend borders and language barriers, filling the world with kindness and smiles.
Released as a single in September 1993, it was featured in a Yoshinoya TV commercial and became widely beloved across Japan.
Rejecting conflict and embracing the universal theme that those who share the same Earth can love one another, it stands as a fitting anti-war song imbued with a prayer for peace.
The clear, pure voice of Yoshihisa Hirasaka and the beautifully hopeful strings weave a sound that seems to gently embrace the world.
When the daily news weighs heavy on your heart, this song may once again remind you of the preciousness of peace.
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.
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.
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.
TriangleSMAP
An anti-war song by the national idol group SMAP.
It was performed during Nippon TV’s “24-Hour Television 28: ‘Love Saves the Earth’ ~To Live~.” It’s a masterpiece that we want people from all walks of life to hear, and it was even included in music textbooks in 2008.
It carries the message that even if my eyes, your hands, and our voices are all different, every life is the same.
It conveys the folly, sadness, and emptiness of going to war over small differences.
If this piques your interest even a little, please give it a listen.
Hiroshima, River of LoveSakushi: Nakazawa Keiji sakushi / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Katsuhiko
This is a solemn prayer song born from the only poem left by Keiji Nakazawa, the creator of the manga Barefoot Gen.
You can almost see the scene of countless lights floating on the flow of Hiroshima’s rivers, entrusted with the sorrow of the atomic bombing and hopes for the future.
Released in June 2014, this piece has been cherished as a symbol of peace, sung every year at Hiroshima’s peace events on August 6, the anniversary of the bombing.
It’s a song to listen to when you want to quietly honor the memories etched in history and reflect anew on the preciousness of peace.