is a Japanese

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

singer.

Biography

Inagaki was born and raised in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

, the capital of

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

, and graduated from Miyagi Prefectural Technical High School. One of his earliest musical influences was

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

. While a student in middle school, he joined a local band called Faces as a vocalist and drummer. Later, he also performed in bands that entertained United States military personnel stationed in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

and

Tachikawa file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 households, and a populat ...

. Beginning with his commercial debut single "Rainy Regret" (雨のリグレット ''Ame no riguretto'') in 1982, Inagaki released a series of popular hits. Inagaki's music became especially well known throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His songs have appeared on several drama programs and numerous commercial advertisements on

Japanese television Television in Japan was introduced in 1939. However, experiments date back to the 1920s, with Kenjiro Takayanagi's pioneering experiments in electronic television. Television broadcasting was halted by World War II, after which regular televisio ...

. His 1992 ballad "When The Christmas Carols Play" (クリスマスキャロルの頃には ''Kurisumasu kyaroru no koro ni wa'') was featured on the TBS drama series ''Homework'' (ホームワーク), and remains one of the most popular

holiday songs A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

in Japan. As of 2010, Inagaki continues to tour in Japan, and will perform in Tokyo,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, and

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

in June 2010. In a rare performance abroad, he held a private concert in San Francisco sponsored by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

on January 11, 2009. Inagaki's first wife of more than 30 years died in 2006. He remarried in October 2007 to a woman 10 years his junior, and hosted a wedding reception in Tokyo for family and close friends in March 2008.Sponichi Annex
(Japanese)

Discography

Original studio albums

Compilation and live albums

Cover and duet albums

Singles

References

External links

Official site

Universal Music Japan

Teichiku Entertainment

Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inagaki, Junichi 1953 births Living people Japanese male singers People from Sendai Musicians from Miyagi Prefecture