Japanese jazz singer. A jazz vocalist representing the domestic jazz scene.

There are many Japanese jazz musicians who are recognized worldwide, but there may be surprisingly few people who can immediately name a representative Japanese jazz singer.

The history of jazz singers in Japan actually goes back to before World War II.

After the war, a string of hit songs based on jazz emerged, and many stars beloved by the public were born.

With that history in mind, this article spotlights Japanese jazz singers from a broad perspective!

From legendary superstars with a foundation in jazz to pure jazz vocalists, and even those unexpected artists who actually sang jazz—we’ll bring you a richly varied selection!