Ranking of Heart-Wrenching Songs by Male J-Pop Singers [2026]

The End of SummerMoriyama Naotaro85rank/position

Naotaro Moriyama – Natsuno Owari

A classic summer song sung by Naotaro Moriyama, famous for “Sakura.” Just as the title suggests, it’s best listened to at the end of summer! Summer is full of festivals and events—a perfect season to make lots of memories with family, friends, and loved ones.

That bittersweet feeling after those joyful moments come to an end is something everyone has experienced, isn’t it? This is a song that gently embraces those tender, wistful emotions.

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SAKI

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If being alive is painfulMoriyama Naotaro86rank/position

Naotaro Moriyama – If Being Alive Is Painful

This is a single released in 2008.

It came about when Naotaro, while helping a friend move, happened to find a sheet of paper with a poem written on it at the home of his friend, the poet Ochanomizu Kado.

It’s a song that earnestly faces life, and it carries particular conviction because it’s by Naotaro Moriyama, who continues to sing about delicate human emotions as well as bright, life-affirming themes.

Although some of its expressions sparked mixed reactions, they don’t come from a place of apathy; rather, they seem to convey a wish for listeners to take a brief, comforting pause.

Precisely because times can be tough, a song that fully stays with your despair or heavy feelings can be a source of solace.

It’s a song that feels like it accepts you just as you are.

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KEI

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cherry blossomKawaguchi Kyogo87rank/position

Kyogo Kawaguchi – Sakura

Kawaguchi himself said that the release of this song was postponed to December 2003 because it overlapped with “Sakura (Dokusho).” It’s also well known that this isn’t a graduation song; it was written for a commercial song competition using Doraemon, and the song was composed with Doraemon and Nobita in mind.

The town where you liveShimizu Shota88rank/position

Shota Shimizu “The Town Where You Live” MV

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.

MelodyTamaki Kōji89rank/position

Melody by Koji Tamaki

On a comedic variety show, they were chosen by professionals as the best singer.

This is the song that really made me feel that.

The song says that living together as a couple is the greatest happiness, and nothing else is needed.

Whenever this song plays, there’s always at least one person nearby who ends up in tears.

HELLOFukuyama Masaharu90rank/position

Masaharu Fukuyama / HELLO [PV]

Speaking of Masaharu Fukuyama, he’s not only a singer but also an actor who’s incredibly active.

His popularity isn’t limited to Japan.

On top of that, he has numerous hit songs.

“HELLO” is one of them—a wonderful track that sings of romantic feelings.

First LoveFukuyama Masaharu91rank/position

Masaharu Fukuyama – First Love (Full ver.)

A song by Masaharu Fukuyama that portrays the ache of unfulfilled love.

Chosen for Toshiba’s LCD TV commercial, it was released as a single in December 2009.

It was his first single to use minor chords, incorporating new experiments such as reversed piano and guitar parts.

The track expresses deep feelings toward a love that cannot be, and the bittersweet nostalgia for a lost romance, making it a piece that resonates with many listeners.

The lyrics, imbued with a wish to cherish the memory of a first love, will speak to those who cannot forget their first love even though both they and their former sweetheart now have families to protect.