Tear-jerking love songs: classic and popular hits from Japanese music

The Habit SongHoshino Gen

Gen Hoshino – Kuse no Uta (Official Video)

I want to convey that Gen Hoshino’s love songs are not just “Koi.” I’d like people who came to like him through “Koi” to listen to “Kuse no Uta.” While many of his recent songs are stylish and pop, his first album, “Baka no Uta,” starting with “Kuse no Uta,” is full of masterpieces with simple, down-to-earth arrangements.

Cry On Your SmileKubota Toshinobu

Toshinobu Kubota – CRY ON YOUR SMILE [Official Video Short ver.]

This is a renowned ballad that tenderly yet poignantly captures the feelings of seeing a loved one off as they set out toward their dreams.

Released in October 1987, it became a milestone as the artist’s first entry into the Oricon Top 10.

Built on an R&B foundation, its beautiful melody is paired with lyrics filled with such deep affection that you find yourself in tears even within the other person’s smile—listening makes your chest tighten.

The emotionally overflowing ad-libbed outro is breathtaking, conveying irrepressible feelings that bring tears to your eyes.

Chosen as the theme song for the Toho film “Kamitsukitai,” it’s also included on the best-of album “the BADDEST.” When you listen to it as you cheer on someone dear at the start of a new chapter, it feels like a gentle push on the back.

MissingKubota Toshinobu

Toshinobu Kubota – Missing [Official Video]

This is an immortal masterpiece included on the first album “SHAKE IT PARADISE,” released in September 1986.

Although it was never released as a single, it’s widely known as one of Toshinobu Kubota’s signature songs.

It portrays a poignant relationship between a man and a woman who are drawn to each other yet can never be together, rendered through a one-of-a-kind, soulful voice.

The more one wishes to forget, the stronger the feelings grow—the searing emotion tightens the listener’s chest.

On a night when your heart is troubled by an unrequited love, why not listen quietly on your own?

Last LoveKato Miria

Miliyah Kato 'Last Love'

The work she created is a breakup song that perfectly fits the phrase “a heartbreakingly sad love ballad.” Through lyrics she wrote herself, it portrays with striking realism the aimless sense of loss and the lingering attachment that won’t fade after losing the one you love.

The grand, beautiful strings only seem to accentuate the loneliness at heart, and the clear, translucent vocals resonate as if asking a question—so achingly bittersweet.

Released in June 2010 as her 18th single, the track was later included on her acclaimed album HEAVEN, which became her first to top the charts.

When you’re carrying the pain of an unforgettable love, this song gently stays by your side in your helplessness.

Sayonara, baby.Kato Miria

Miliyah Kato 'Sayonara Baby'

This is a bittersweet love song about a heart swaying between true feelings and outward appearances.

She wants to believe his words, yet deep down she doubts them, and still can’t bring herself to end things… You can sense her wavering emotions in the chorus’s back-and-forth between the man and woman.

The track is a work by singer-songwriter Miliyah Kato, released in September 2008 as her 13th single.

Its arrangement is striking, unfolding from a wistful piano intro into a danceable four-on-the-floor sound.

The song is also included on the acclaimed album “Ring.” When you’re unsure of the other person’s feelings and don’t know what to do, listening to this might resonate with your complicated state of mind.

Love ForeverKatō Miriya × Shimizu Shōta

Miliyah Kato × Shota Shimizu “Love Forever”

The golden duo representing the J-POP scene, Miliyah Kato and Shota Shimizu, have an unmissable duet song.

While celebrating the joy of meeting, its lyrics occasionally hint at an inevitable end, making it achingly bittersweet and tightening your chest.

Told from both of their perspectives, it’s a track that powerfully conveys gratitude toward the person who saved them from lonely days.

Released in May 2009 as a single by Miliyah Kato and included on the classic album “Ring,” the song became hugely popular, with its music video winning an award at MTV VMAJ 2010.

The section in the latter half where their harmonies intertwine is a must-hear.

It’s a masterpiece perfect for nights when you want to bask in the beautiful memories and bittersweetness of love.

We’re evenHanaregumi

Hanaregumi – “Oaiko” Music Video

Written and composed by Yojiro Noda of RADWIMPS, this is a tear-jerking ballad with lyrics that are quintessentially Noda from start to finish.

There are countless breakup songs out there, but I think Oaiko, told from the perspective of a rather pathetic man, has the potential to become a new classic of the genre.