Japan Record Awards


is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Established in 1959, the Japan Record Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious music awards in the country.
Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 pm JST and is hosted by many announcers. Exile holds the record for most Grand Prix wins, with four awards.

Grand Prix shield

The shield itself, designed by painter Seiji Togo.

Categories

The Japan Record Awards include, but are not limited to, four awards which are not restricted by genre. All of the awards would be published in advance, except for the Grand Prix and Best New Artist Award, which would be announced at the ceremony.

Main categories

  • New Artist Award – automatically nominates four best new artists for the ‘Best New Artist Award,’ which will select the top debuting artist from the four winners.
  • Best New Artist Award – awarded to a performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.
  • Excellent Work Award – automatically nominates ten artists and songs for the ‘Grand Prix Award,’ which will select the artist and song from the ten winners.
  • Grand Prix of Japan Record Award – The award is given to a work that has received strong support from the public through excellent singing, outstanding artistry, originality, and planning through composition, lyrics, and arrangement. The works selected for the top 10 "Excellent Work Award" will be judged.

    Other categories

  • Best Vocal Performance Award – awarded to the best singer.
  • Best Album Award – awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
  • Excellence Album Award
  • Best Composer Award
  • Best Arranger Award
  • Best Lyricist Award
  • Planning Award
  • Achievement Award
  • Special Award
  • Special International Music Award
  • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Japan Composer's Association Award

    List of Japan Record Award Grand Prix winners

Most wins

  • Including enka and pop artists.
  • "Best Composer Award", "Best Arranger Award" and "Best Lyricist Award" are counted to the corresponding recipients rather than the singers.

    Most wins in Grand Prix

Most overall wins

RankArtistTotal awards
1Hiroshi Itsuki28
2Kiyoshi Hikawa20
3Southern All Stars19
4AKB4814
5Ayumi Hamasaki
Exile		13
6Kenji Sawada12
7Aki Yashiro11
8w-inds
Hideki Saijo		10
9Seiko Matsuda
Yū Aku
Kana Nishino		9
10Namie Amuro8

Venues