In 1989 (Shōwa 64 / Heisei 1), Japanese music was released on records, and there were charts, awards, contests and festivals.
During that year, Japan continued to have the second largest music market in the world,Tokita and Hughes. The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. 2008. p 355.Gronow and Saunio. International History of the Recording Industry. 1998. Reprinted 1999. p 209. and fourteen percent of all record sales took place in that country.(1991) 159 Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys, (from Standard & Poor's Corporation), (Leisure Time), 14 March 1991, p 42, citing Billboard's report of an IFPI survey.
Awards, contests and festivals The 31st Osaka International Festival (Japanese: 大阪国際フェスティバル) was held from 31 January to 14 May 1989.1989年のラインナップ. Asahi Shimbun Foundation. The 2nd "Band Explosion" festival was held on 12 February 1989.INTERNATIONAL POPULAR MUSIC FESTIVAL BAND EXPLOSION '88世界大会（審査会）. Yamaha Music Foundation. The international contest of the 18th Tokyo Music Festival was held on 2 June 1989.Close Up Magazine. vol 24. No 3: March 1989. p 16. From Country Music Association (CMA). ISSN 0896-372X."Fast Facts". The Hard Report. No 137: 14 July 1989. p 38. From "The Hard Report Inc", Medford, New Jersey. The 3rd Teens' Music Festival was held on 3 August 1989.TEENS' MUSIC FESTIVAL '89 全国フェスティバル. Yamaha Music Foundation. The final of the 20th World Popular Song Festival was held on 27 October 1989.第20回世界歌謡祭記念大会 World Popular Song Festival 20th Anniversary Special -Benefit for unicef-. Yamaha Music Foundation. The 3rd "Band Explosion" festival was held on 29 October 1989.BAND EXPLOSION '89 WORLD FINAL IN JAPAN ～世界大会. Yamaha Music Foundation. The final of the 18th FNS Music Festival was held on 12 December 1989."(S) FNS Popular Song Grand Prix: 7:00-9:24 p.m. FUJI, KTV, THK" in "Today's Choice". The Japan Times. 12 December 1989. No 32644. p 14. col 4. The 31st Japan Record Awards were held on 31 December 1989.第31回 日本レコード大賞. Japan Composer's Association. The 40th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen was held on 31 December 1989.第40回NHK紅白歌合戦. NHK.
Boøwy won the grand prix for Japanese artist of the year at the 3rd Japan Gold Disc Awards.The Japan Gold Disc Successive Award.第3回 日本ゴールドディスク大賞.
Concerts There was a Kenji Sawada concert at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall on 13 October 1989.ジュリー・沢田研二「伝説のコンサート」が36年たった今も"伝説"とされる理由 「やっぱりジュリーは派手でないと」という声への"反動"と"進化". AERA Digital. 11 October 2025.
Number one singles Oricon
The following reached number 1 on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart:See the weekly issues of Oricon magazine1989年6月12日PRINCESS PRINCESS「Diamonds（ダイアモンド）」がオリコン1位を獲得. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 12 June 2019.1989年1月23日、工藤静香「恋一夜」で通算4曲目となるシングル1位を獲得. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 23 January 2019. Issue dateSongArtist(s)2 January""Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi9 January16 January""Otokogumi"Oricon Single Hot 100" in "Hot Chart 100: 1.16 Oricon". Oricon Weekly. vol 11. 23 January 1989. p 19.23 January"Koi Hitoyo"Shizuka Kudo30 January6 February""Yui Asaka13 February"Ai ga Tomaranai (Turn It into Love)"Wink20 February""Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi27 February6 March"Rosécolor"Miho Nakayama13 March""Otokogumi20 March""Hikaru Genji27 March"Namida wo Misenai de (Boys Don't Cry)"Wink3 April10 April17 April""Complex24 April1 May""Toshihiko Tahara8 May"Liar"Akina Nakamori15 May"Arashi no Sugao"Shizuka Kudo22 May29 May5 June"Return to Myself (Shinai, Shinai, Natsu.)"Mari Hamada12 June"Diamonds"Princess Princess19 June""Southern All Stars26 June"Diamonds"Princess Princess3 July""Shonentai10 July"Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Natsu"Princess Princess17 July"Samishii Nettaigyo"Wink24 July31 July""Hikaru Genji7 August""Kyosuke Himuro14 August""Otokogumi21 August""Hikaru Genji28 August4 September11 September18 September"Kōsa ni Fukarete"Shizuka Kudo25 September2 October9 October16 October23 October30 October""Misato Watanabe6 November""Tetsuya Komuro13 November"One Night in Heaven (Mayonaka no Angel)"Wink20 November27 November""Tetsuya Komuro4 December""11 December""Yoko Minamino18 December""Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi25 December""Tatsuro Yamashita
Number one albums
Music Labo
The following reached number 1 on the Music Labo chart: 16 January: Best II - Akina NakamoriBillboard. 28 January 1989, p 67. 31 January: Taboo - Buck-TickBillboard. 25 February 1989, p 68. 7 February: - Barbee BoysBillboard. 25 February 1989, p 68. 20 February: - Eikichi YazawaBillboard. 11 March 1989, p 85. 7 March: - Hikaru GenjiBillboard. 25 March 1989, p 65. 27 March: Joy - Shizuka KudoBillboard. 8 April 1989, p 71. 10 April: - Tsuyoshi NagabuchiBillboard. 22 April 1989, p 68. 24 April and 1 May: Like a Prayer - MadonnaBillboard. 6 May 1989, p 78. 20 May 1989, p 66. 8 May: - ComplexBillboard. 20 May 1989, p 66. 22 May: - TM NetworkBillboard. 3 June 1989, p 69. 17 June 1989, p 73. 12 July: - Motoharu SanoBillboard. 1 July 1989, p 72. 19 June and 26 June: Return to Myself - Mari HamadaBillboard. 1 July 1989, p 72. 15 July 1989, p 63. 3 July: - Eikichi YazawaBillboard. 15 July 1989, p 63. 10 July and 24 July: - OtokogumiBillboard. 29 July 1989, p 67. 12 August 1989, p 71. 17 July: - Misato WatanabeBillboard. 29 July 1989, p 67. 31 July: - CheckersBillboard. 12 August 1989, p 71. 7 August, 14 August, 21 August and 4 September: Cruise - Akina NakamoriBillboard. 26 August 1989, p 84. 9 September 1989, p 79. 23 September 1989, p 82. 11 September: - Shōgo HamadaBillboard. 23 September 1989, p 82. 18 September: Outerlimits - Show-YaBillboard. 7 October 1989, p 78. 14 October 1989, p 80. 25 September: Karakuri House - Billboard. 7 October 1989, p 78. 14 October 1989, p 80. 9 October and 16 October: Neo Fascio - Kyosuke HimuroBillboard. 28 October 1989, p 95. 30 October: - Senri OeBillboard. 11 November 1989, p 86. 18 November 1989, p 80. 13 November: - Bakufu SlumpBillboard. 2 December 1989, p 60. 20 November: - Kome Kome ClubBillboard. 2 December 1989, p 60. 27 November: Lovers - Princess PrincessBillboard. 16 December 1989, p 66. 4 December, 18 December and 25 December: - Yumi MatsutoyaBillboard. 16 December 1989, p 66. 13 January 1990, p 64.
Oricon
The following reached number 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart:See the weekly issues of Oricon magazine 16 January: Best II - Akina Nakamori"Album Top 100" in "Hot Chart 100: 1.16 Oricon". Oricon Weekly. vol 11. 23 January 1989. p 18. 15 May: Especially for You: Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete by Wink 29 May: - Rebecca 24 July: - Yoko Minamino 18 September: Hide 'n' Seek by Miho Nakayama 16 October, 23 October and 30 October: The Baddest by Toshinobu Kubota
Annual charts Princess Princess' Diamonds was number 1 in the Oricon annual singles chart.シングル年度別のヒット曲 TOP 1. Jipang, from Oricon.
Film and television The music of Untamagiru, by Kōji Ueno, won the 44th Mainichi Film Award for Best Music.第44回 日本映画大賞 The music of Black Rain and Rikyu, both by Tōru Takemitsu, won the 13th Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Music (awarded in 1990).Prizes.
was first broadcast on 11 February 1989あの伝説の番組再び！"イカ天2007復活祭"名物バンド激レア映像今夜限りの大放出SP. TBS. 30 December 2007. during the (Japanese: バンドブーム, bando būmu).Mark Schilling. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. Weatherhill. 1997. Fourth printing, 2004. p 231.Steve McClure. Nipponpop. Tuttle Publishing. 1998. p 14.
The music of (aka Garaga) is by and includes vocals by Fuyuko Kurihara (栗原冬子).Kinema Junpo (キネマ旬報) .As to Fuyuko Kurihara, see "栗原冬子" in "Nouveaute File", Oricon Weekly, vol 11, 8 May 1989.
Debuts 松下里美 「Sixteen」. New Release Review & List. Oricon Weekly. (vol 11 Jan 1.23). 23 January 1989. p 20.For album reviews, see 松下里美, CDJournal. For charts, see Oricon. 6 September: CoCoパラダイスGoGo!! 乙女塾出身 "CoCo" 80年代最後に芽吹いた5人の少女たち. Re:minder. 11 October 2020.
Other singles released Verge of Love, Shōnan Heartbreak and You're My Life by Yōko Oginome The Stress and Daite by Chisato Moritaka Virgin Eyes by Miho Nakayama Kurenai and Endless Rain by X Japan Kimi no Naka de Odoritai by B'z Aozora by The Blue Hearts
Other albums and EPs released Beauty by Ryuichi Sakamoto Fair Tension by Yōko Oginome Twin Memories by Wink Hijitsuryokuha Sengen and Moritaka Land by Chisato Moritaka Karelia and Harvest by Shizuka Kudo Ballads and Merry Merry by Miho Nakayama Kaikinetsu by Miyuki Nakajima Soldier of Fortune by Loudness Wave by T-Square Blue Blood by X Japan Off the Lock and Bad Communication by B'z Realize by Hideaki Tokunaga Sincerely by Mari Hamada Water in Time and Space by Susumu Hirasawa Zero by Dead End
Deaths 31 January: Yasushi AkutagawaShig Fujita. "Japanese Composer/Conductor Dies" in "International". Billboard. 25 February 1989, p 66. 24 June: Hibari Misora【6月24日は何の日】1989年、歌手の美空ひばりさんが死去. ツギノジダイ, from The Asahi Shimbun. 24 June 2022. Previously published in the Asahi Shimbun's "bizble" on 24 June 2021.
See also Timeline of Japanese music 1989 in Japan 1989 in music w:ja:1989年の音楽
References Ongaku Nenkan '89 (Japanese: 音楽年鑑 '89). "Japan". ("Japan '89"/"Spotlight on Japan"). Billboard. 3 June 1989. pp J-1 to J-20. (International Spotlight). J-POPの歴史「1988年と89年、CDが切り開いたミリオンセラーの時代」. Rolling Stone Japan. 8 January 2020. Oricon Weekly magazine (オリコンウィークリー) Music Labo magazine ミュージック・リサーチ Music Research magazine シンプジャーナル magazine What's In? magazine 1989 オリコン年鑑 1990 オリコン年鑑 Oricon No. 1 Hits 500. Clubhouse (Japanese: クラブハウス). 1998. ISBN 9784906496136. vol 2 (1986~1994).