The Japan Record Award for Best Album ("最優秀アルバム賞") is awarded annually, but was suspended in 2006, 2007, 2020 to 2022. The top honor for albums was named the Album Grand Prix Award ("アルバム大賞") until 2001, when it was replaced by the Best Album award ("ベストアルバム賞"), and underwent another Japanese name change in 2008.
1980s + Year Artist Album 1980Tsuyoshi NagabuchiYellow Magic OrchestraTatsuro YamashitaGyakuryūSolid State SurvivorMoonglow 1981Off CourseYumi MatsutoyaEiichi OhtakiWe AreMizu no Naka no Asia eA Long Vacation 1982Miyuki NakajimaSouthern All StarsYumi MatsutoyaKansuigyoNude ManPearl Pierce 1983Southern All StarsSeiko MatsudaYumi MatsutoyaKireiUtopiaReincarnation 1984Mariko TakahashiTriad 1985Yōsui Inoue9.5 Karat 1986Seiko MatsudaSupreme 1987Tsuyoshi NagabuchiLicense 1988Kyosuke HimuroFlowers for Algernon 1989AnriCircuit of Rainbow
1990s + Year Artist Album Ref. 1990Gye Eun-Suk (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Unicorn (Pop/Rock)Mayonaka no Shower (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Kedamono no Arashi (Pop/Rock) 1991Takao Horiuchi (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Tatsuro Yamashita (Pop/Rock)Gents (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Artisan (Pop/Rock) 1992Fuyumi Sakamoto (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Southern All Stars (Pop/Rock)Otokobore (Kayōkyoku/Enka)Yo ni Manyō no Hana ga Sakunari (Pop/Rock) 1993Mariya TakeuchiQuiet Life 1994Keisuke KuwataKodoku no Taiyō 1995Eiichi AraiKiyokawa no Michi: 48-ban 1996GlobeGlobe 1997GlayBeloved 1998Every Little ThingTime to Destination 1999Hikaru UtadaFirst Love
2000s + Year Artist Album Ref. 2000Ayumi HamasakiDuty 2001GospellersLove Notes 2002Chitose HajimeHummingbird (ハミングバード) 2003Mika NakashimaLove 2004Hiroshi ItsukiOnna no Ehon (おんなの絵本) 2005KetsumeishiKetsunopolis4 (ケツノポリス4) 2006—— 2007 2008Namie AmuroBest Fiction 2009GReeeeNShio, Koshō (塩、コショウ "Salt & Pepper")
2010s + Year Artist Album Ref. 2010IkimonogakariHajimari no Uta (ハジマリノウタ First Song) 2011Kazumasa OdaDomo (どーも) 2012Kana NishinoLove Place 2013YuzuLand 2014Mariya TakeuchiTrad 2015Southern All StarsBudou (葡萄, Grape) 2016Hikaru UtadaFantôme 2017SuchmosThe Kids 2018Kenshi YonezuBootleg 2019The Yellow Monkey9999
2020s Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Best Album award was not presented from 2020 to 2022.
+ Year Artist Album Ref. 2020—— 2021 2022
References
External links Japan Composer's Association