Japan gained significant commercial success in the early 1980s with hit singles like “Ghosts” and albums like Tin Drum and Gentlemen Take Polaroids, as well as the live album Oil On Canvas in 1983, becoming pioneers of New Wave and, reluctantly, the New Romantic movement.

However, the London-based band, which formed in 1974, began life as a glam-funk outfit. Their first two albums, Adolescent Sex and Obscure Alternatives were poorly received in their native UK but did find favour among Japanese and European audiences.

For their third album, Quiet Life, they completely shifted gears, moving towards a more synthpop and New Wave-oriented direction. This change of sound had already been hinted at by their 1979 disco hit single, “Life in Tokyo. Many of Japan’s defining features developed in this period: David Sylvian’s Bryan Ferry-esque croon, Mick Karn’s rubbery fretless bass, Richard Barbieri and Rob Dean’s atmospheric synth and guitar work and Steve Jansen’s unique drumming. While the album might not have been very successful when it was released, it has since become regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of its genre, being cited as an influence by a number of artists including Duran Duran.

Subsequent releases, Gentlemen Take Polaroids and Tin Drum continued in the same vein, with the latter employing Chinese and other East Asian influences, but just as “Ghosts” gave them a No. 5 hit, the band decided to split up due to personal differences, releasing the hugely successful Oil On Canvas to close out their career.

Sylvian, Karn, Jansen and Barbieri reunited in 1991 for the Rain Tree Crow project, but split up shortly after as the other members of the band found it difficult to cope with Sylvian’s controlling nature.

Despite their career being very short, each individual member has pursued a prolific solo career, and Japan’s legacy remains a hugely important one.