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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Antiwar Songs That Pierce the Heart: Japanese Classics Conveying Prayers for Peace (51–60)
Whenever I’m sadMatsuda Hiroyuki
It’s the theme song for one of Leiji Matsumoto’s signature works, The Cockpit, a collection of short manga based on World War II.
The stories portray the lives of people buffeted by war, and this piece conveys a sense of sorrow and sadness through its grand melody.
No one can truly know how those who staked their lives as kamikaze pilots felt, but the sadness of war and the longing for peace—a resolve that it must never be repeated—come through and tighten the chest.
We must not forgive the atomic bomb.Kinoshita Koji
In 1954, a hydrogen bomb test was conducted over Bikini Atoll, and in the wake of the exposure of the fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru, Mr.
Koji Kinoshita, who had joined the signature campaign against nuclear weapons, composed this anti-war song through self-study.
The song powerfully conveys, almost painfully, the scenes of the town after the atomic bomb was dropped and the feelings of its people.
Strange WorldImawano Kiyoshirō
Kiyoshiro Imawano consistently took an anti-war stance.
His song “Strange World,” which he sings, was released in 2003.
The lyrics contrast a world where ordinary yet irreplaceable everyday moments flow by, with a strange, seemingly unreal world of war.
Perhaps he wanted to say: cherish daily life, and realize quickly that war is wrong and bizarre.
Everyone knows war is pointless.
It’s important to keep that awareness alive.
Be The LightONE OK ROCK
This is the song “Be The Light,” released in 2013 by the hugely popular rock band ONE OK ROCK.
It’s a gentle track that seems to embrace the immense sorrow born from war and disasters.
It has also received a strong response from overseas.
While sorrow never ceases, it’s wonderful that there are songs that can ease it, even just a little.
[Anti-war songs that pierce the heart] Prayers for peace conveyed by Japan’s classic masterpieces (61–70)
Relay of Lifesango
This is a gem of a song that conveys a wish for peace and the preciousness of life.
The voices woven by three mothers from Okinawa resonate deeply in the heart.
Released in May 2015 as the NHK Okinawa Broadcasting Station’s theme song for the 70th year after the war, the piece is further elevated by a chorus of forty Okinawan elementary school students, creating a grand, immersive world.
The lyrics, imbued with a strong determination to never repeat past tragedies and with hope for the future, seep into the listener’s soul.
It’s a song that should be heard not only by those who know the sorrow of war and conflict, but also by anyone who, while grateful for a peaceful daily life, wishes to face the reality of the world.
Preparation for the countrySano Motoharu
“Preparation for the Nation” is a song included on Motoharu Sano’s 2004 album THE SUN.
It’s a powerful rock ’n’ roll number with striking lyrics that seem to satirize the nature of Japan as a nation.
Though the lyrics are sparse and the track runs only about three minutes, Sano’s message is packed into those few words.
It can sound abstract, but it also feels like it’s singing about Japanese soldiers of the time who devoted their lives to the nation and went off to war.
origami craneUmehara Shihei
This is a song by singer-songwriter Shihei Umehara, carrying a strong message themed around the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It has been sung continuously at various peace movement venues.
Covered by children’s choirs, it has also become established as a choral piece in educational settings.