[Songs Praying for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Peace Songs That Resonate with the Heart
Songs of peace that resonate in our hearts in every era.
Many timeless classics that wish for a world without war or conflict and embody the preciousness of peace in song have long continued to stay close to people’s hearts.
In this article, we introduce songs—mainly from Japanese music—that are imbued with prayers and hopes for peace.
Powerful messages like “Don’t forget the painful history,” and warm sentiments such as “Let’s build a Japan and a world without conflict together.” You’re sure to find a message of peace that resonates with your heart.
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[Songs Praying for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Heart-Touching Peace Songs (21–30)
War and MeSambomasutā
A rock band that confronts the absurdity of war with a soul-shaking cry—this is a song by Sambomaster.
A soldier, telling himself he’s protecting the ones he loves, points his gun at an unknown someone and is tormented by the act.
That anguish, torn apart by contradiction, is sung plainly and powerfully over a fervent performance.
The track appears on the acclaimed 2006 April release, “Boku to Kimi no Subete wo Rock’n Roll to Yobe.” Holding the fundamental question—“Why do we fight?”—close to your heart, you’ll be reminded of the preciousness of peace.
It’s a work that will pierce deeply into the heart of anyone who feels the same.
NEVER ENDAmuro Namie
A hit song sung by Namie Amuro, a musician from Okinawa.
In this grand piece, she sings about ordinary things given to everyone—like the future, tomorrow, and dreams.
Yet it might also be a song that makes us reconsider such ordinary peace.
Message — kotodute —Porunogurafiti
It’s a song with a gentle rock sound imbued with deep prayers and wishes.
The 55th single by Porno Graffitti, created with Hiroshima—marking 80 years since the atomic bombing—as its theme, it was released digitally in April 2025.
The track was used as the ending theme for NHK Hiroshima’s documentary program “Connect: Messages to the Future — Porno Graffitti Connects Through ‘Song.’” The program featured the background of the song’s production and conversations with atomic bomb survivors.
Give it a listen when you want to feel a commitment to peace or to quietly calm your mind.
Be the lightONE OK ROCK
Be the light is a track from the 2013 album Jinsei×Boku=.
The song was created in response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, with the desire to preserve thoughts and feelings about disasters occurring in Japan and around the world in musical form.
While it acknowledges the sorrow of events where lives are lost, it carries a message of moving forward with determination and hope.
Although it’s a theme somewhat apart from war, it embodies the wish for everyone to live in peace.
Song of the Uzikariyushi 58
This is a ballad with a wish for peace by Kariyushi58, an artist from Okinawa.
As you read the lyrics, you can vividly picture a young girl walking beside an Okinawan sugarcane field.
The recurring message in the lyrics—“Do not hate, but love”—feels like a lesson on the meaning of peace.
Perhaps peace cannot come through hating and retaliating against others, but only through forgiving and loving them.
angina pectorisRADWIMPS
RADWIMPS, a rock band that has been leading the Japanese music scene since the 2000s.
Their 2011 release “Kyōshinshō” is a song that makes you want to face the reality unfolding right before your eyes.
It features a groovy band sound with resonant low-end.
Yojiro Noda’s plaintive vocals, marked out over a slow tempo, will strike a chord in your heart.
The lyrics, which highlight the importance of “seeing” and “listening,” are also worth noting.
When you confront realities happening in a world that feels distant yet close, sensational rock gives you strength.
INORI ~Prayer~Kumiko
This song, released by Kumiko in 2010, was written by Yuji Sasaki—Sadako Sasaki’s nephew—expressing Sadako’s feelings and hopes for peace.
The piece carries a powerful wish to pass on the terror and sorrow of the atomic bombing to future generations.
In 2010, Kumiko made her first appearance on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen, where she performed this song.