Japanese breakup songs sung by female artists

beetle (specifically, a rhinoceros beetle)aiko

aiko - 'Kabutomushi' music video

It’s a song by aiko that portrays a delicate heart: identifying with an insect that protects itself with a hard shell yet is fragile inside, and acting tough precisely because it’s in love.

Like that insect that cannot survive the winter, the song foresees the end of love, yet its deep affection moves you as it tries to accept even the sadness as a cherished memory.

Released in November 1999, it was also used as the ending theme for TBS’s CDTV.

If you’ve ever found yourself putting on a brave front in front of someone you like, you’ll understand this all too well! As you listen, may you embrace that awkwardness as a part of yourself and find the courage to step forward into tomorrow.

Never again...BENI

BENI – Never Again…

“I just want to hear your voice one more time, but I can’t.” This is BENI’s renowned ballad that sings of a heartbreakingly painful wish.

The lyrics, torn between lingering feelings for an unforgettable lover and the resolve to tell oneself there’s no going back to the past, will squeeze the hearts of anyone bearing the same pain.

There’s even an anecdote that BENI herself unexpectedly shed tears during the music video shoot, which speaks to the depth of emotion poured into this piece.

Released in December 2008 and tied in with a MBS-affiliated TV program, its memorable melody—marked by piano and strings—surely lingers in many listeners’ minds.

Also included on the album “Bitter & Sweet,” this song might be the perfect one to let a few quiet tears fall to.

two peopleaiko

aiko - “Futari” music video

I tell myself it’s a good thing I realized how they felt before I fell in love, and I accept the end of the romance.

This song by aiko captures that painful bravado.

Despite its up-tempo sound, it sings of the bittersweet moment when you keep getting your hopes up over the other person’s smallest gestures, only to notice their gaze is fixed on someone else.

Released in March 2008, the song reached No.

3 on the Oricon weekly chart and was later used in a Hoyu commercial.

It’s also included on the album “Himitsu.” On nights when you put on a brave face even though you’re really sad, doesn’t listening to this song make you feel like someone’s right beside you saying, “I know exactly how you feel”?

Like this tonightAimyon

Aimyon – Stay Like This Tonight [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This is a song by Aimyon that portrays a helpless night where you dissolve your true feelings into the bubbles in your glass and surrender yourself to an ambiguous relationship.

Wishing for no more than a modest trigger to feel fulfilled evokes emotions akin to the resignation of unrequited love.

Released in November 2018, the song drew attention as the theme for the drama “We Can’t Become Beasts,” and has been streamed over 100 million times.

If you’ve ever been unable to tell someone how you really feel and felt like you might as well just go with the flow, you’ll surely understand the protagonist’s pain.

Doesn’t it feel like this song gently stays close to a heart burdened with feelings that have nowhere to go?

Please forget it.Yorushika

Yorushika – Please Forget (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

It’s a heartbreak song by Yorushika that tightens your chest with its bittersweet love—the kind that wishes happiness for an ex while saying “please forget me.” Released in July 2024 as the theme song for the drama “GO HOME: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Unidentified Persons Consultation Office,” the track sets gentle melodies against a narrator who recalls precious memories they shared, even as they wish those memories to be forgotten.

Yet behind those words lies the true feeling of “please don’t actually forget,” a confession that’s sure to loosen your tear ducts.

Vocalist suis’s clear, translucent voice conveys this self-sacrificial and contradictory form of love with painfully delicate nuance.

On nights when you want to face the pain of heartbreak alone, listening to this song will feel as if it speaks for you and quietly stays by your side.

wedgeHanako Oku

Kusabi (Wedge) by Hanako Oku

A piano ballad by Hanako Oku that quietly embraces the inescapable pain of parting.

Cherished since her indie days and lovingly passed down in her performances, it’s a song that has been adored by fans for many years.

Two shadows lit by streetlights after the last train has gone, a final kiss shared even as they know they’ll never meet again.

Lyrics that portray such helpless scenes are sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced heartbreak.

The song gained popularity through word of mouth and was finally released as a single in July 2015, marking the 10th anniversary of her debut.

It was later included on the album “Prism.” On nights when you’re sinking into sorrow with no way out, why not surrender yourself to this piece and let the tears flow?

GarnetHanako Oku

Garnet

A signature song by Hanako Oku, chosen as the theme for the smash-hit animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Its poignant lyrics and piano tones are captivating, evoking memories of days gone by as if they were right before your eyes.

Oku’s clear, transparent vocals gently permeate the heart.

Though we can no longer meet, the song expresses gratitude for a encounter that made the self stronger, offering not only solace from heartbreak but also the strength to move forward.

Released in July 2006, the song won the Best Theme Song (Film) at the Heisei Anime Song Awards.

For those who want to overcome a painful farewell and step into the future with beautiful memories, this song will gently nudge you forward.