# Japan Record Award for Best New Artist

The Japan Record Award for Best New Artist (最優秀新人賞) is awarded annually. Until the 10th Japan Record Awards it was called the New Artist Award. Starting with the 11th, it has been called the Best New Artist Award. All artists awarded the New Artist Award are automatically nominated for the Best New Artist Award.

## 1960s

| Year | New Artist Award |
| 1960 | Yukio Hashi – "Itako Gasa" |
| 1961 | Miki Nakasone – "Kawa ga Nagareru" Miyuki Yamanaka – "Dancho no Ojōsan" Kōji Hirano – "Shiroi Hana no Blues" Akira Matsushima – "Koshū" Tatsumi Fujino – "Musume Sandogasa" Utako Yanagi – "Saihate no Uta" |
| 1962 | Saburō Kitajima – "Namidabune" Chieko Baisho – "Shitamachi no Taiyō" |
| 1963 | Kazuo Funaki – "Gakuen Hiroba", "Kōkō San Nen-sei" Akemi Misawa – "Shima no Blues", "Watashi mo Nagare no Wataridori" |
| 1964 | Teruhiko Saigō – "Kimi dake o", "17-sai no Kono Mune ni" Harumi Miyako – "Anko Tsubaki wa Koi no Hana" |
| 1965 | Babu Satake – "Onnagokoro no Uta" Miyoko Tashiro – "Aishite Aishite Aishichata no yo" |
| 1966 | Ichirō Araki – "Sora ni Hoshi ga aru Yō ni" Tokiko Kato – "Akai Fusen" |
| 1967 | Hidekazu Nakai – "Koibito to Yonde Mitai" Naomi Sagara – "Sekai wa Futari no Tame ni" |
| 1968 | Ken Yabuki – "Anata no Blues" Kaori Kumi – "Kuchidzuke ga Kowai" Pinky & Killers – "Koi no Kisetsu" |

## 1970s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 1969 | Peter – "Yoru to Asa no Aida ni" | Norihiko Hashida and the Shoebelts – "Kaze" Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five – "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Amedatta" Kaoru Chiga – "Mayonaka no Guitar" Kyōko Takada – "Minna Yume no Naka" |
| 1970 | Akira Nishikino – "Mō Koi na no ka" | Mari Henmi – "Keiken" Masaki Nomura – "Ichido dake nara" Ritsuko Abe – "Ai no Kizuna" Salty Sugar – "Hashire Kotarō" |
| 1971 | Rumiko Koyanagi – "Watashi no Jōkamachi" | Saori Minami – "17-sai" Naoki Hongō – "Moeru Koibito" Ouyang Fei Fei – "Ame no Midōsuji" Simons – "Koibito mo Inai no ni" |
| 1972 | Megumi Asaoka – "Mebae" | Aoi Sankaku Jōgi – "Taiyō ga Kureta Kisetsu" Hiromi Go – "Otoko no Ko Onna no Ko" Eiji Miyoshi – "Ame" Masako Mori – "Sensei" |
| 1973 | Junko Sakurada – "Watashi no Aoi Tori" | Miyoko Asada – "Akai Fusen" Maria Anzai – "Namida no Taiyō" Shizue Abe – "Coffee Shop de" Agnes Chan – "Sōgen no Kagayaki" |
| 1974 | Yōko Aso – "Tōhikō" | Yūko Asano – "Koi wa Dan Dan" Tsutomu Arakawa – "Taiyō no Nichiyōbi" Michiru Jo – "Iruka ni Notta Shōnen" Teresa Teng – "Kūkō" Mineko Nishikawa – "Anata ni Ageru" |
| 1975 | Takashi Hosokawa – "Kokoro Nokori" | Hiromi Iwasaki – "Romance" Junko Ogawa – "Yoru no Hōmonsha" Nagisa Katahira – "Utsukushii Chigiri" Hiromi Ōta – "Amadare" |
| 1976 | Yasuko Naitō – "Omoide Boro Boro" | Yoshimi Ashikawa – "Yuki Gomori" Hiroshi Kadokawa – "Uso de mo Ii no" Kenji Niinuma – "Yome ni Konai ka" Pink Lady – "Pepper Keibu" |
| 1977 | Kentaro Shimizu – "Shitsuren Restaurant" | Karyudo – "Azusa 2-gō" Ikue Sakakibara – "Al Pacino + Alain Delon < Anata" Mizue Takada – "Garasuzaka" Yosuke Tagawa – "Lui-Lui" |
| 1978 | Machiko Watanabe – "Kamome ga Tonda Hi" | Machiko Watanabe – "Kamome ga Tonda Hi" Mako Ishino – "Shitsuren Kinenbi" Mineyuki Satō – "Aoba-jō Koi Uta" Teppei Shibuya – "Deep" Rie Nakahara – "Tokyo Lullaby" Masanori Sera & Twist – "Hikigane" (declined award) |
| 1979 | Tomoko Kuwae – "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion" | Tomoko Kuwae – "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion" Nozomi Inoue – "Suki dakara" Mariko Tsubota – "How! Wonderful" Mariya Takeuchi – "September" Nobue Matsubara – "Onna no Debune" |

## 1980s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 1980 | Toshihiko Tahara – "Hattoshite! Good" | Toshihiko Tahara – "Hattoshite! Good" Yoshimi Iwasaki – "Anata Iro no Manon" Naoko Kawai – "Yankee Boy" Seiko Matsuda – "Aoi Sangoshō" Kazuko Matsubara – "Kaette koi yo" |
| 1981 | Masahiko Kondō – "Gin Gira Gin ni Sarigenaku" | Masahiko Kondō – "Gin Gira Gin ni Sarigenaku" Takayuki Takemoto – "Terete Zin Zin" Yūko to Yayoi – "Otōsan" Yutaka Yamakawa – "Hakodate Honsen" Hiroyuki Okita – "Hamidashi Champion" |
| 1982 | Shibugakitai – "100%... SO Kamo ne! | Shibugakitai – "100%... SO Kamo ne! Hidemi Ishikawa – "Yurete Shōnan" Yū Hayami – "Answer Song wa Aishū" Chiemi Hori – "Machi Bouke" Iyo Matsumoto – "Sentimental Journey" |
| 1983 | The Good-Bye – "Kimagure One Way Boy" | Hiroshi Itsuki – "Sasame Yuki" Kenji Sawada – "Kimeteyaru Konya" Harumi Miyako – "Naniwa Koi Shigure" Shinichi Mori – "Fuyu no Riviera" Aki Yashiro – "Nihonkai" |
| 1984 | Yukiko Okada – "Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite" | Yukiko Okada – "Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite" Issei Fūbi Sepia – "Zenryaku, Michi no Ue Yori" Momoko Kikuchi – "Summer Eyes" Kōji Kikkawa – "Monika" Sally – "Virgin Blue" |
| 1985 | Miho Nakayama – "C" | Miho Nakayama – "C" Minako Honda – "Temptation" Akiko Kobayashi – "Koi ni Ochite (Fall in Love)" Miyoko Yoshimoto – "Ame wa High School" Noriko Matsumoto – "Sayonara to Iwarete" |
| 1986 | Shonentai – "Kamen Butōkai" | Shonentai – "Kamen Butōkai" Akemi Ishii – "Cha-Cha-Cha" Tomomi Nishimura – "Watashi Dreaming" Mariko – "Yume Hikō" Mari Mizutani – "Otome Biyori" |
| 1987 | Risa Tachibana – "Kimi wa Don to Kurai" | Risa Tachibana – "Kimi wa Don to Kurai" Noriko Sakai – "No Re Na I Teen-age" Fuyumi Sakamoto – "Abare Daiko" Rie Hanada – "Hito Mishiri" BaBe – "I Don't Know!" |
| 1988 | Otokogumi – "Daybreak" | Otokogumi – "Daybreak" Eri Aikawa – "AB Complex" Kaori Kozai – "Ame Sakaba" Chika Nakamura – "89-banme no Seiza" Buck-Tick – "Just One More Kiss" Sakura Yamato – "Ōshō Ichidai Koharu Shigure |
| 1989 | Marcia – "Furimukeba Yokohama" | Marcia – "Furimukeba Yokohama" Yoshito Owase – "Koi Yadori" Miwa Kawagoe – "Yume dake Miteru" Shin Kouda – "Otoko Dōshi" Eriko Tamura – "Shinken" |

## 1990s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 1990 | Ninja – "Omatsuri Ninja" (pop) Tama – "Sayonara Jinrui" (rock) Yang Soo Kyung – "Aisarete Serenade" (kayōkyoku) Saori Hareyama – "Ichiendama no Tabi garasu" (enka) | |
| 1991 | Mi-Ke – "Omoide no Ku Jū Kurihama" | Mi-Ke – "Omoide no Ku Jū Kurihama" Michiyo Nakajima – "Aoi Hanataba" Noriyuki Makihara – "Donna Toki mo." Alisa Mizuki – "Densetsu no Shōjo" |
| 1992 | Masatoshi Ono – "You're the Only..." | Masatoshi Ono – "You're the Only..." Maki Ohguro – "Da Ka Ra" Noriko Katō – "Kondo Watashi Doko ka Tsurete itte Kudasai yo" Yoko Takahashi – "Miss You Again" |
| 1993 | Yasuhiro Yamane – "Get Along Together" | Yasuhiro Yamane – "Get Along Together" Mari Kunitake – "Pocket Bell ga Naranakute" Shū Pinsei – "Passing Love" |
| 1994 | Yuki Nishio – "Kaikyō Koiuta" | Yuki Nishio – "Kaikyō Koiuta" Be-B – "Dōmu (Fū ni Mukatte)" Ryūko Mizuta – "Tosa no Onnabushi" |
| 1995 | Junko Miyama – "Momo to Ringo no Monogatari" | Junko Miyama Tomomi Kahara Haruka Yabuki |
| 1996 | Puffy – "Asia no Junshin" | Puffy Speed Dos |
| 1997 | Rina Chinen – "Precious Delicious" | Rina Chinen Kazuya Iwade Saruganseki |
| 1998 | Morning Musume – "Daite Hold on Me!" | Morning Musume Ami Suzuki Tohko |
| 1999 | Amika Hattan – "Shooting Star" | Amika Hattan Taiyō to Ciscomoon Satoko Yamamoto Seiji Wada |

## 2000s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 2000 | Kiyoshi Hikawa – "Hakone Hachiri no Hanjirō" | Kiyoshi Hikawa Earth Cheuni |
| 2001 | W-inds – "Paradox" | W-inds Shinobu Otowa Zone |
| 2002 | Mika Nakashima – "Stars" | Mika Nakashima Sachiko Shiina Day After Tomorrow Lead |
| 2003 | Yo Hitoto – "Morai Naki" | Yo Hitoto Sayaka Kamizono Shy Kanako Minami |
| 2004 | Ai Ōtsuka – "Sakuranbo" | Ai Ōtsuka – "Sakuranbo" Takeshi Kitayama – "Katamichi Kippu" Ayaka Hirahara – "Jupiter" Aiko Moriyama – "Onna Bushi" |
| 2005 | AAA – "Blood on Fire" | O's AAA Nakanomori Band High and Mighty Color |
| 2006 | Ayaka – "Mikazuki" | Ayaka SunSet Swish Aki Yamamoto WaT |
| 2007 | Cute – "Tokaikko Junjō" | Cute – "Tokaikko Junjō" Jyongri – "(Yakusoku)" Stephanie – "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" Satomi Takasugi – "Habibito" |
| 2008 | Jero – "Umeyuki" | Jero – "Umeyuki" Girl Next Door – "Gūzen no Kakuritsu" Kimaguren – "Life" Mai Fukui – "Ai no Uta" Kumiko Sakurai – "Abare-sen" |
| 2009 | Big Bang – "Gara Gara Go!" | Big Bang – "Gara Gara Go!" Maya Sakura – "Tairyō Matsuri" Scandal – "Shōjo S" Hilcrhyme – "Shunkashūtō" |

## 2010s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 2010 | S/mileage – "Yume Miru 15" | S/mileage – "Yume Miru 15" Iconiq – "Change Myself" Madoka Kikuchi – "Hito Koi Sansa" Girls' Generation – "Gee |
| 2011 | Fairies | Fairies Miyu Itō Super Girls 2NE1 |
| 2012 | Leo Ieiri | Leo Ieiri Misaki Usuzawa Erena Ono Tīna Karīna |
| 2013 | Kōta Shinzato | Kōta Shinzato Kōhei Fukuda Konomi Mori Juice=Juice |
| 2014 | Mariya Nishiuchi | Mariya Nishiuchi Sakurako Ōhara Solidemo Yūki Tokunaga |
| 2015 | Magnolia Factory | Magnolia Factory lol Natsumi Hanaoka Rei Yasuda |
| 2016 | iKon | iKon Satoshi Hayashibe Mizuki Hayama Boys and Men |
| 2017 | Camellia Factory | Camellia Factory Takuya Nakazawa Nobu Unione |
| 2018 | Yuto Tatsumi | STU48 Yuto Tatsumi Chuning Candy BiSH |
| 2019 | Beyooooonds | Ryouta Kaizou Beyooooonds Leon Niihama Ryuusei |

## 2020s

| Year | Best New Artist Award | New Artist Award |
| 2020 | Naoki Sanada | Naoki Sanada Novelbright Mameshiba no Taigun Rin-ne |
| 2021 | Macaroni Enpitsu | INI Taeko Macaroni Enpitsu Luca Mochizuki |
| 2022 | Aimi Tanaka | Hanna Ishikawa Ocha Norma Aimi Tanaka Yuuki Tani |
| 2023 | Fruits Zipper | Tetsuji Kimura Fruits Zipper Aozora ni Tsuite Kangaeru Lil League from Exile Tribe |