Breakup songs sung by male Japanese (J-pop) artists

Close your eyesHirai Ken

Ken Hirai 'Close Your Eyes' MUSIC VIDEO

When I wake up in the morning, I can feel the empty shell of the person I once loved lying beside me.

This song by Ken Hirai portrays that sudden sense of loss that visits in ordinary, fleeting moments.

Close your eyes and memories of happier days return in vivid detail, but open them and there’s no one there.

That inescapable reality pierces your heart, doesn’t it? The longer you spent together, the more indelible the memories become—how painfully ironic.

Released in April 2004, the song topped the Oricon Yearly Chart as the theme for the film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World.” For those who have gone through the profound parting of divorce and now simply want to dwell in their sorrow, this is a song that quietly stays by your side.

NEW YEAR’S EVEHamada Shogo

NEW YEAR’S EVE Shogo Hamada

A classic ballad by singer-songwriter Shogo Hamada that portrays the gentle parting of two people who have been together for many years.

You can almost see the scene of a New Year’s Eve night when, caring for each other yet choosing different paths for the sake of their respective futures, they decide to part ways.

Listening to this song, some may quietly reflect on a past farewell and wonder, “Did that decision allow us both to take a new step forward?” The track was included on the album FATHER’S SON, released in March 1988, and was later self-covered by Hamada.

For those who have had to make a painful choice, this song may feel like one that gently embraces that decision and gives you the strength to look ahead—an intimate companion to the heart.

emptyyuzu

Yuzu Live “GO HOME” Empty

Released in 1998 as Yuzu’s third single.

The harmonica’s tone gives the song a sense of loneliness.

It’s a song about vocalist Iwasawa’s memory of being confessed to by a woman—he turned her down at first, but later ended up falling for her.

By then it was already too late, and he finds himself constantly thinking of her.

The beautiful harmonies make it well worth a listen.

River of Ten Thousand MilesCHAGE and ASKA

River of Ten Thousand Miles

Released in 1980 as Chage & Aska’s third single.

It was their first hit to enter the top 10 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

The song is a story-like piece inspired by China’s Yangtze River, portraying a woman who continues to long for her lover who has gone far beyond the river, and its title is taken from the Great Wall of China.

single bedSha ran Q

Sharam Q “Single Bed” (Music Video)

It was released in 1994 as Sharan Q’s sixth single.

It became a long-running hit and was the band’s first million-selling song.

The lyrics portray a man who, even a year after the breakup, is still filled with memories of his ex in the single bed where he once held her, unable to move on to his next love.

Rainy BlueTokunaga Hideaki

HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA – Rainy Blue

It was released in 1986 as Hideaki Tokunaga’s debut single.

In 1997 it was rearranged and re-released as “Rainy Blue ~1997 Track~.” The song has been covered by many artists and has become one of Tokunaga’s signature pieces.

It conveys the painful lingering attachment of chasing a love that has already ended.

A masterpiece whose rain imagery deepens the sense of melancholy.

Hold my soulHimuro Kyosuke

Hold my soul

Released in 1995 as Kyosuke Himuro’s 11th single.

It was used as the theme song for the TV Asahi drama “Kaze no Keiji: Tokyo-hatsu!” and became his second best-selling release.

The lyrics stylishly and elegantly express adult romance and the feelings of a clumsy, selfish man.

It’s not about a direct breakup, but the song carries a certain sense of melancholy.