[2026] Uplifting Songs for Graduation: J-POP Graduation Songs and Anthems
After graduation, many of you may find yourselves living apart from the friends you’ve spent so much time with and the family who has supported you, as you move on to higher education or start working.
Perhaps excitement about taking your first steps toward your dream coexists in your heart with the anxiety of wondering if things will go well.
At times like these, when you might be feeling a little discouraged, you want to listen to uplifting songs that cheer you on, don’t you?
We’ve gathered songs filled with warm encouragement to give a gentle push to you, who are setting off at graduation, and to your dear friends.
Tune in to these tracks that will give you courage as you take your next step forward!
- [Moving] Heartfelt Japanese Songs Recommended for Graduation Season [2026]
- [For Graduates] Graduation Songs and Cheer Anthems to Convey Gratitude and Support
- Back Number’s Graduation Songs, School Entrance Songs, and Popular Song Rankings [2026]
- [Recommended for High School Students] New Graduation Songs & Classic Tearjerkers Collection
- [Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt, Moving Words [2026]
- [Graduation Songs of the 2000s] Japanese Music That Colors the Season of Departure
- A Collection of Moving Graduation Songs You’ll Want to Sing at Karaoke! [Farewells, Friendship, and Fight Songs]
- [Song for a Departure] A send-off song for you. A classic masterpiece among departure songs.
- [Graduation Songs] Choral pieces perfect for singing at elementary school graduation ceremonies: A collection of moving classics
- [2026] Recommended love songs for graduation season: Love songs you’ll want to hear at the graduation ceremony
- [A Cheer for Myself] A pep song dedicated to you who are doing your very best
- [Deeply Moving] A Tear-Jerking Cheer Song: Popular Inspirational Anthems That Resonate with the Heart
- Tear-jerking classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM
[2026] Uplifting Songs to Hear at Graduation: J-POP Graduation Songs and Fight Songs (41–50)
horizonback number
This piece, released in August 2020 by a three-piece band from Gunma Prefecture, is well known for the story behind its creation: it was made for high school students who lost their stage when the 2020 Inter-High was canceled.
It gently stays close to the frustration of efforts that don’t pay off and the unreasonable sorrow that follows, delivering a message that knowing pain makes us kinder to others—one that deeply moves listeners.
While holding the sense of loss from shattered dreams and goals, it carries a warmth that suggests those very experiences will become the nourishment that shapes your future self.
Even as graduates face a reality that doesn’t go as planned, this song will softly support them as they take their first steps down a new path.
For a cherished new beginning, why not offer the deep love woven by back number?
Song of the ChickHalf time Old
A four-piece rock band based in Nagoya, Aichi, Half time Old released this track on their October 2020 mini-album CRISP YELLOW.
It’s a youthful punk number that races forward on an 8-beat drive, filled with a warmth that gives you a gentle push during the season of farewells.
The lyrics are memorable for their message that reassures you—“You’re not wrong”—even as you carry anxiety and loneliness about setting off on a new journey.
The music video is composed of cherished photos submitted by fans, designed to overlap with each listener’s own memories.
It’s a song that naturally sparks singalongs at shows, and if you raise your voices together at a graduation concert or a farewell party, it’s bound to become an unforgettable moment.
More than just a tearjerker, it’s a pep song that gives you the strength to step forward with a smile.
Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro
Written as the theme song for the film “STAND BY ME Doraemon,” this piece became one of Motohiro Hata’s signature works.
Released as a single in August 2014, it is also included on the albums “Ao no Koukei” and “All Time Best Hata Motohiro.” Many listeners were undoubtedly moved by its lyrics, which portray the warmth of those who stay by our side and the unchanging bonds that endure even when we’re apart.
Widely loved as well for its use in NTT West’s commercials, the melody is so well-known that anyone can hum along.
This song, which reminds us that the ordinary moments spent with friends are priceless, is the perfect choice for a graduation ceremony to say “thank you” to teachers and peers who have supported you.
road; way; path; street; route; Tao (in philosophy)EXILE
This is a ballad that makes you want to express gratitude to the friends who stood by your side when you’re at a crossroads in life.
Released by EXILE in February 2007 as their 23rd single, the song warmly reflects on the days spent walking together, with themes of graduation and new departures.
It reached No.
1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and became the 1,000th song in Oricon history to top the chart, marking a milestone.
It was featured in MTI’s “music.jp” commercial and selected by the National Karaoke Business Association as a recommended song for the graduation season, resonating with many listeners.
First included on the album “EXILE EVOLUTION,” it was later featured on releases such as “EXILE BALLAD BEST.” Loved as a staple performed at graduation ceremonies, a choral version was also produced.
When you and your dear friends begin to walk separate paths, it gives you the courage to move forward while holding your memories close.
Even when you’re apart, your hearts remain connected.
It’s a song that makes you feel exactly that.
road; way; path; street; route; Tao (in philosophy)GReeeeN
There are times when you feel like looking back on the life you’ve walked so far, aren’t there? “Michi,” released by GReeeeN in 2007, is a song that wraps up the anxieties of those graduating and turns them into strength.
Its warm sound and lyrics that take you back to your beginnings are wonderful.
The effort you put in while struggling with your future path or club activities, and the fact that you didn’t give up even when you didn’t know what to strive for, will surely lead to tomorrow.
Even after you graduate, the days you’ve lived until now will give you a push forward!
Bridge of Gloryyuzu
Among the many graduation songs out there, this one stands out for its powerful message that truly resonates.
The lyrics about the unseen tears and steady effort that have shaped who we are today mirror the graduates reflecting on their six years of school life, bringing a lump to the throat.
Released in July 2004 as Yuzu’s 21st single, it served as the official theme song for NHK’s Athens Olympics broadcasts, moving people across Japan.
This grand ballad, which gives us the courage to face the future after overcoming hardships, feels perfect for ceremonies celebrating a new beginning.
It’s a song you’ll want to sing as you head toward a hope-filled tomorrow, expressing gratitude to teachers and parents along the way.
I should be able to fly (in the sky).supittsu
Sora mo Toberu Hazu (“We Should Be Able to Fly”), a song that gives you a push as you set off into a new world, is a 1994 release by the national favorite band Spitz.
The song was used as the theme for the 1996 TV drama Hakusen Nagashi.
It was originally written for a different project but wasn’t selected there.
It was then released as a regular single and, two years later, chosen as the theme song for Hakusen Nagashi.
Classmates who shared their school days together spread their wings to new places after graduation.
This is a song that lets friends like that cheer each other on.
