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

me me sheRADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – me me she [Official Music Video]

It’s a ballad that gently stays by your side in that hollowed-out feeling of loss, as if there’s a hole in your heart.

The song is included on RADWIMPS’ album “RADWIMPS 4: Okazu no Gohan,” released in December 2006.

Although it wasn’t released as a single, it can be called a hidden masterpiece that has been loved by many listeners for years.

In a way that overlaps with how the title “Memeshii” is read, it portrays with raw honesty the lingering feelings for a former lover mingled with one’s own ego.

The warm tone of the guitar and the conversational vocals really hit home, and each listen may bring a tightening ache to your chest.

On nights when there’s someone you simply can’t forget, or when you want to cry your heart out and look forward, why not give it a listen?

nape (of the neck)aiko

aiko - “Eriashi” music video

A winter ballad whose aching vocals by aiko strike straight to the heart.

It portrays feelings that can’t be severed for a former lover and a love that doesn’t fade, even after years have passed.

Many who hope to rekindle a romance will likely be moved to tears by the strong wish to someday meet again—if only the other person is still out there somewhere.

Released as a single in November 2003, the song is also included on the acclaimed album “Akatsuki no Love Letter.” There’s even a story that aiko herself shed tears during the mixing process.

If you listen to it when you’ve been separated yet can’t let go, it will surely affirm your pure feelings and give you the courage to face forward once more.

the absolute worstMarushii

Marcy – The Worst of the Worst (Official Music Video)

What words would you cry out when you realize that the heart of the lover you were laughing with until yesterday is no longer turned toward you? Released digitally in March 2022, this song by Marcy captures the complicated mix of anger and lingering attachment toward a fickle partner, set against a fast-paced rock sound.

It was also included on their first album, “Memory,” released in June 2022, and the music video featuring Naenano drew attention.

While venting the frustration of betrayal, the protagonist suffers from being unable to completely hate the other person—perfectly voicing the feelings of someone fresh off a heartbreak.

It’s a song that can support your heart when you’ve gone through a breakup so painful that just remembering it makes your chest tighten.

Goodbye, AngelMEGA SHINNOSUKE

Sayonara Tenshisama

Mega Shinnosuke is an artist who has earned support for his genre-crossing musicality.

This track, included on his fifth album Tenshi-sama† released in November 2025, is a love song that portrays feelings for a cherished person one can no longer meet.

What stands out is how it refuses to deny the misery of heartbreak, choosing instead to carry it forward and keep moving on.

While the album also features tracks like the theme song for the TV anime “Hiroshi Nohara: The Way of Lunch,” this song—despite having no tie-in—plays a pivotal role at the core of the work.

Its bittersweet narrative, like being told goodbye at the very start of a film, is sure to gently accompany anyone seeking to heal the pain of a broken heart.

Feel the sorrow and faint hope distilled into 4 minutes and 41 seconds.

That’s not fair.Ochiai Wataru

Wataru Ochiai – That's Unfair (Music Video)

They’re someone who says they “love” me, but I know their heart isn’t here.

Even so, I can’t walk away, because those moments when they say it are the only ones that save me.

Wataru Ochiai’s 2021 release sings from the perspective of a woman sinking into a relationship so ambiguous it can’t even be labeled “more than friends, less than lovers,” moving between blaming the other person and loathing herself.

A phone placed face down as they leave; me almost grabbing their arm, then seeing them off with a smile—tiny details of daily life lay bare the reality that I’m not the one.

The simple arrangement, built around acoustic guitar and keys, is chosen to make the words stand out.

Precisely because the vocal delivery is calm and understated, the pain lands with raw immediacy.

After its 2021 release, the song charted in countries around the world, including Thailand, Laos, and Ireland.

The music video features actors Mizuki and Kento Hotta, and is approaching 900,000 views.

For anyone who knows the feeling of “a love you want to end but can’t,” this is a song that will gently stay by your side.

Blue BenchSasuke

Blue Bench / Sasuke

This is a signature song by the male duo Sasuke, who disbanded once in 2009 and reunited in 2014.

It was covered by Tegomass in 2011.

As a classic breakup song, its lyrics—regretting not having expressed one’s feelings properly—are something adults can relate to.

It’s a love song whose sweet vocals and harmonica in the intro linger in your ears.

Eine KleineYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Eine Kleine

It’s a Tokyo Metro commercial song, but I think it can also be considered one of Kenshi Yonezu’s signature tracks.

He’s an artist who used to post original songs on Nico Nico Douga under the name “Hachi,” and one of his greatest appeals is his gentle yet powerful, beautiful singing voice.

Inekoine, told from the perspective of “atashi” (I), is a song that many women can deeply relate to.