Ranking of Popular Breakup Songs by Male Japanese Artists [2026]
When you’ve had your heart broken, you often feel like listening to sad breakup songs rather than upbeat ones, don’t you? For those in that situation, here’s a ranking of popular breakup songs by male singers that we recommend.
These are masterpieces that will help heal your heart and guide you toward your next love.
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Top 10 Breakup Songs by Japanese Male Artists [2026] (Ranks 71–80)
If being alive is painfulMoriyama Naotaro78rank/position
Naotaro Moriyama’s “If Living Is Painful” has a title that pierces the heart.
Released in 2008 as Moriyama’s 16th single, the song features lyrics written by poet Omodaka Kite, a friend of Moriyama’s.
The lyrics may seem a bit shocking right from the start, yet the gentle melody brings a gradual sense of solace.
It’s a song you’ll want to listen to not only after heartbreak but also during life’s difficult times—a piece you’ll want to keep as a talisman.
Our FailureMorita Doji79rank/position
Bokutachi no Shippai, which carries a warmth even amid despair, is a song released by Doji Morita in 1976.
It sings of the sorrow and regret of a couple who had been living together but eventually broke up.
Yet it isn’t only about negative emotions; it also expresses a deep love, which may be what gives the song its warmth.
Incidentally, the lyrics include many phrases that can serve as windows into 1970s culture.
If you come across anything unfamiliar, be sure to look it up!
Sake, Tears, Men, and WomenKawashima Eigo80rank/position
This song, known as one of Eigo Kawashima’s signature works, portrays with poignant strength a man numbing the pain of a broken heart with alcohol and a woman washing it away with tears.
Released in June 1976, it became a nationwide hit, aided by its use in a commercial for Kizakura Brewery.
There’s also a well-known anecdote that Kawashima wrote the lyrics and composed the music at age 19, inspired by his uncle.
Influenced by folk music, its simple melody and lyrics that capture both the strength and vulnerability of men strike a deep chord.
It’s the perfect track for healing the wounds of heartbreak or facing life’s struggles.
Why not listen on a quiet night with a glass in hand?
Top 2026 Breakup Songs by Male Japanese Artists: Ranking (81–90)
GLASSKawamura Ryuuichi81rank/position
Released in 1997 as Ryuichi Kawamura’s second single.
Including his time with LUNA SEA, this was the first song by Ryuichi Kawamura to sell over a million copies, and it remains his only million-selling solo hit.
It was used as the ending theme for the TV program “Beat Takeshi’s TV Tackle.” The song’s arrangement and melody overflow with the pain and heartbreak of a lost love, and Kawamura’s voice further elevates the piece.
End of SummerShimizu Shota82rank/position
Shota Shimizu’s “Natsunoowari” portrays a bittersweet summer romance.
It’s included on the 2014 album ENCORE.
They meet at the start of summer, fall in love, and make countless memories… but by the time summer ends, that person is gone.
Though there’s a sense of loneliness, the song focuses even more on gratitude for having met.
Breakups are painful and sad, but if you have the memories you made together, you’ll be okay.
It’s a song that brings light to the sorrow of heartbreak.
Prologue feat. AimerShimizu Shota83rank/position
Shota Shimizu is a singer-songwriter who has been in the spotlight since his teens for his gentle vocals and overwhelming singing ability.
“Prologue feat.
Aimer,” included on his 9th album HOPE, drew attention as a track featuring Aimer, just as the title suggests.
The lyrics look back on a romance that ended before it could reach the future they had envisioned, evoking the image of someone not yet ready to step into the next love.
It’s a heartrending love ballad, with their interwoven voices coloring a sentimental story.
The town where you liveShimizu Shota84rank/position
This is a ballad that paints the feelings of someone who, in unguarded moments, finds themselves searching for traces of a lover who should no longer be there.
It’s a song by singer-songwriter Shota Shimizu, released in October 2010 as his eighth single.
The track is also included on the album COLORS.
You can almost picture the protagonist overlaying the face of the one they can no longer meet onto a lookalike spotted on a station platform or onto familiar cityscapes.
Imagining the city where that person lives and simply wishing to see them—those one-sided feelings are, in a way, the very essence of a lingering “unrequited love” that follows a finished romance.
The melody, like an autumn dusk—lonely yet warm—soaks into the heart.
If there’s someone you can’t forget, listening to this will surely resonate deeply.