Japanese breakup songs sung by female artists
When you’re dealing with the pain of a broken heart, are you looking for songs that gently stay by your side? Heartbreak songs by female artists are filled with lyrics that speak for your feelings and emotions you can relate to.
Belt them out at karaoke and cry your heart out, or listen alone and quietly heal.
In this article, we’ll share heartbreak songs that can be your emotional support.
The voices that resonate with your wounded heart and the timeless tracks that give you the courage to look forward will surely wrap you in gentle comfort.
Japanese breakup songs sung by female artists (1–10)
tobacco / cigarette(s)Koresawa
The lyrics of “Tobacco” are about how certain things remind you of someone you broke up with.
Just like the title suggests, cigarettes bring back memories of an ex.
Heartbreak is really painful, and I think it takes everyone some time to recover.
In times like that, listening to this song by Koresawa somehow makes you feel lighter.
Best-before date of lovetuki.
While sensing the end of love, they still can’t let go of their affection for the other person.
This song by tuki.
portrays that contradictory heart with painfully raw realism.
Frustrated by miscommunication over social media, yet feeling happy just to be by their side—the protagonist’s feelings will inevitably tighten the listener’s chest.
Released in September 2024, exactly one year after the striking debut “Bansanka,” this work is an answer song.
With other tracks featured in PlayStation 5 commercials, tuki.’s unique world continues to captivate many.
If you’ve ever experienced the aching loneliness of a relationship slowly cooling, you’ll surely resonate deeply.
On nights when you’re bewildered by love that’s changing, why not quietly align your heart with this song, alone?
Told me about SakurabashiNogizaka 46
“Sakurabashi wo Oshiete Kureta,” included on the first-press limited edition TYPE-A of the 41st single “When Was the Last Time You Raced Up the Stairs?” released in April 2026, is a song by the 6th-generation members.
The track is notable for its bittersweet lyrics that retrace memories of bygone youth and its clear, springlike sound.
Additionally, Kokone Atago, serving as center for the first time, shines with a calm, lyrical expressiveness.
It’s a refreshing breakup song recommended for those who want to immerse themselves in the fleeting nature of youth.
First LoveUtada Hikaru
Let me introduce ‘First Love’ by Hikaru Utada, who is now supported around the world as one of Japan’s leading singers.
If you’re talking about Japanese breakup songs, you can’t leave this one out.
Released in 1999 on her debut album, it has continued to be loved by people of all ages.
MPRINCESS PRINCESS
I’m sure you’ve heard it somewhere before.
Princess Princess—affectionately known as “Puri Puri”—was a girl band that defined the 1980s and ’90s.
Their song “M” is probably their most famous track.
This cross-generational classic, with its vivid, concrete lyrics, is impossible to listen to without tears!
maybeYOASOBI
A morning of ending for two, greeted in a room fallen silent.
This is a YOASOBI song that portrays such a matter-of-fact scene of parting.
Released in July 2020, it also served as the theme song for a short film.
True to the duo’s concept of “turning novels into music,” it was created based on a publicly submitted short story.
There’s a painfully real quality in the way they try to accept a relationship that drifted apart—not because either person was at fault—with the word “probably.” Ikura’s clear, translucent vocals delicately capture the subtleties of a heart that can’t neatly move on, and are sure to resonate deeply with those carrying the pain of heartbreak.
While accepting the end, you can’t help but empathize with the sudden longing for the past that slips in.
FOREVERchanmina
A heartbreak song by Chanmina that doesn’t end the farewell in sorrow, but turns it into the strength for a new beginning—the determination comes through so intensely it almost hurts.
You can practically picture her screaming out the anger and despair of the moment that brings the romance to a close, riding a fierce punk-rock sound.
The track carries both the sense of liberation found in saying a definitive “farewell forever,” and a strong will for the future.
Released in October 2024, the song also drew attention as the theme for the drama “Monster.” It’s sure to give a powerful push to anyone who wants to put an end to a painful love, shake off the past, and move forward.
After you’ve shed all your tears, it might be the spark that helps you discover a new self.