A poignant ballad song. A tear-jerking masterpiece of Japanese pop music.
Let me introduce some heartrending ballads that tighten your chest the moment you listen.
When you part ways with someone important, when a romance fails and leaves you down, or when a sudden memory takes you back to a past you can’t return to…
In the course of life, there are moments when a quiet, melancholy mood washes over you.
In this article, I’ve gathered recommended ballad songs for those very times.
From beloved classics to recent hits, I’ve selected tracks so you can find a song that resonates with your feelings and helps you detox your heart.
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Poignant ballad songs: Tear-jerking masterpieces of Japanese music (61–70)
leap day personRADWIMPS
Written by RADWIMPS in March 2022 as the theme song for the film “The Last 10 Years,” this piece portrays the love of two people confronting a finite life.
In lyrics crafted by Yojiro Noda after thoroughly studying the screenplay, he tenderly conveys how miraculous and irreplaceable a loved one’s presence is.
The heartfelt wish to keep living together—even if it meant giving away half of one’s own life—deeply moves us.
Beginning with a piano melody and gradually unfolding into a gentle orchestral arrangement, the song fills the heart with both wistfulness and warmth.
It is a profoundly resonant love song meant for everyone who holds someone dear.
Can’t Say Anything… SummerTHE JAYWALK
Speaking of J-Walk’s signature song, it has to be “Nanimoiienakute…
Natsu” (“I Can’t Say Anything…
Summer”).
It portrays a mature romance remarkably well.
Even now, once summer arrives, you can hear it everywhere as a classic summer anthem.
It’s also a hugely popular karaoke choice that people still feel like singing when summer comes.
I love youback number
Written as the theme song for the NHK morning drama series “Soar High! (Maiagare!),” this track by back number was released digitally in October 2022.
Through everyday, modest scenes, the lyrics gently prompt us to reflect on our feelings for someone precious.
The pure, self-questioning desire—how can I bring more smiles to someone important?—is something almost anyone can relate to.
It’s a perfect number for those thinking of someone far away or wanting to reaffirm what truly matters amid the busyness of daily life.
Blue amberback number
A ballad that epitomizes back number, fully portraying deep sorrow and complex emotions.
Released in April 2025, this song served as the theme for the drama “From the Day You Were Taken,” aligning closely with its weighty narrative.
Like rare amber that changes color depending on the angle, the piece explores the multifaceted nature of the human heart.
Even when acting with firm resolve, another self is screaming inside—its wavering comes through with piercing clarity.
The grief of being torn apart by inescapable fate and the indelible memories of love are carried by a beautiful melody, drawing you in until you can’t help but empathize.
It’s a track you’ll want to hear on sleepless nights when you’re burdened with feelings you can’t tell anyone.
All of the Youthsuis from Yorushika
The melancholic air at summer’s end and the memories that resurface in a quiet moment—no one captures such aching scenes more beautifully than Yorushika’s vocalist, suis.
Her cover of a classic Fujifabric song has been used alongside moving videos on YouTube Shorts, touching many hearts.
The nostalgia for seasons gone by and time that won’t return, carried by suis’s translucent voice, seems to awaken memories tucked away deep inside.
This track is a reinterpretation of Fujifabric’s 2007 release, produced by music producer Seiji Kameda, and it also serves as the theme song for the Netflix film ‘My Last Year of Life, and the Story of Meeting You with Six Months Left.’ When you want to reminisce at summer’s end or after parting with someone dear, listening to it may gently comfort your heart.
rendezvousshaitoopu
The rock band Shytone, which rose to prominence after a viral hit on social media, released a signature track in April 2023 that sings of a man’s searing emotions after a breakup.
Unable to accept parting from someone he loved deeply, he longs for an impossible reunion; the loneliness of his lover’s traces fading from everyday life is expressed through vocalist So Sasaki’s superb word choices—so moving you might be brought to tears.
The song is also known for surpassing 100 million total streams in November 2023 and is included on the album “Hors d’œuvre.” Why not entrust your heart to its somehow comforting melody that stirs up those bittersweet feelings?
I just wanted to be loved.shizuku
A piano ballad by shizuku that I want those who feel misunderstood in their loneliness or simply long to be loved to hear.
This song seems to portray a pure cry from the heart—a wish to be acknowledged with a “You did your best,” when you can’t find value in yourself.
The delicate piano melodies and the calm yet resilient voice of the musical voicebank KAFU gently speak the feelings that are hard to put into words.
Released in June 2024 and included on the mini-album “Honne,” the track reached 500,000 views on YouTube by September 2025.
Listen to it on nights when you’re tempted to blame yourself or when you need warm words, and the tension in your heart will gently loosen.
It’s a song that wraps your pain in a gentle embrace.