From around the 1990s through the 2010s, countless timeless songs were released in the Heisei music scene.
Among them were many heartbreak songs, and I’m sure many of you have been listening to them ever since they first came out.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide selection of those Heisei-era heartbreak songs all at once.
We’ve chosen tracks that carry a nostalgic feel—ones that will bring back memories from those days when you listen.
If you lived through that era, please enjoy them while reminiscing.
And if you’re from a younger generation and didn’t experience that time, we encourage you to take your time listening while reading the lyrics.
- Breakup songs that were hits in the 2000s
- A heartbreak song that was a hit in the 90s. Classic and popular tracks in Japanese music.
- Emotional songs from the Heisei era. Nostalgic tracks that really hit you.
- Tear-jerking J-pop from the ’90s. Hit songs and real tearjerkers.
- Breakup songs sung by male artists that I’d recommend to Gen Z
- [Heisei Love Songs] A carefully selected collection of gem-like love songs that continue to be cherished even in the Reiwa era!
- [Female Heartbreak Song] A soul-stirring song dedicated to you, who loved with all your heart.
- [Heisei Songs] Classic hits from the Heisei era that are popular on Instagram Reels
- Tears won’t stop with these sentimental lyrics! Heisei-era tearjerker songs
- [Tearjerker Guaranteed!] A Heartbreak Song Told from a Male Perspective
- My heart aches with bittersweet pain! Breakup songs I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Just listening makes my chest tighten... Breakup songs recommended for the Yutori generation
- Recommended breakup songs by male artists for the Yutori generation
Heisei-era heartbreak songs: A roundup of classic tracks from the 1990s to the 2010s (1–10)
single bedSha ran Q
It’s a bittersweet breakup song from a male perspective, portraying the feelings of someone who can’t step into a new love after parting with a long-term partner.
It recalls those days when everything was fun no matter what they did or talked about, and those days when he sensed their hearts were drifting apart but feared breaking up.
Even though he knows it’s too late to change anything now, the “If only I had done this or that” regrets keep crashing over him—that’s the painful part of heartbreak.
It’s a song that truly speaks for anyone who can’t forget an ex and has become hesitant about love.
One more time one more chanceYamazaki Masayoshi
Yamazaki Masayoshi’s “One more time, One more chance” is a song about someone who cannot accept a breakup and can’t stop thinking about their lover.
Released in 1997, the song was used as the theme for the film “The Moon and a Cabbage,” in which Yamazaki himself starred, as well as for Makoto Shinkai’s animated film “5 Centimeters per Second.” When your feelings of not being able to accept a breakup are strong, you end up chasing your lover’s shadow no matter what you do or where you are, just like in this song.
You wish they would come back, but that wish cannot be granted…
It’s a track that poignantly conveys the aching sadness and loneliness of parting.
I won’t fall in love anymore.Makihara Noriyuki
It’s a breakup song that nudges you toward sorting out your feelings, like, “There’s no point clinging to regrets, right?” When being together becomes the norm, we tend to forget how much the other person means to us and how grateful we should be.
Realizing that only after the breakup is painful, isn’t it? Still, there are probably more people than you’d think who can’t stop wondering, “If I’d been more considerate, would a different future have awaited us?” Let Noriyuki Makihara’s gentle, embracing voice soothe your heart that’s been battered by heartbreak, and let’s go find your next love.
Time goes byEvery Little Thing
“Time goes by” is the best-selling single by Every Little Thing and a quintessential Heisei-era hit, serving as the theme song for the drama “Amai Kekkon” and featuring in multiple commercials.
It opens with an intro that carries a hint of loneliness, and Kaori Mochida’s clear, beautiful vocals further heighten the song’s poignant mood.
The lyrics depict a couple who once loved each other but gradually fell out of sync and broke up, conveying both the pain of separation and the moving determination to move forward beyond it.
Until the day I can no longer rememberback number
Back number’s 2011 track “Until the Day I Can’t Remember” tells us there’s no need to force ourselves to forget a lover.
After a breakup, we tend to try to forget in order to move forward.
But since a former lover has already helped shape part of our life, forgetting them might mean losing a part of ourselves—that’s what this song teaches.
Everyone has the urge to forget because the pain is hard and we want relief.
Still, why not listen to this song as a chance to think a little more positively about the days you’ve had so far and the future that lies ahead?