Today TBS (the Tokyo Broadcasting System) has published both this year’s set of winners for the Japan Record Awards as well as the nominees for the Song of the Year and Best New Artist categories.  The Japan Record Awards are a Japanese music awards show akin to what the Grammies are in the United States and it can be considered a great honor to be selected for any award on the list below.

Of particular note among this year’s Song of the Year Nominations are DA PUMP’s “U.S.A.,” Nogizaka46’s “Synchronicity,” Kiyoshi Hikawa’s “Shoubu no Hanamichi”, Daichi Miura’s “Be Myself”, and SEKAI NO OWARI’s “Sazanka.”  Also worth mentioning is the recipient of this year’s Album of the Year award:  Kenshi Yonezu’s “BOOTLEG”, a smash-hit record which has moved over 450k physical copies (and accrued nearly 140k downloads) according to Oricon.

The 60th Japan Record Awards will air on December 30th, which is when we’ll find out who this year’s Best New Artist will be, as well as which of the song nominations will receive the coveted Grand Prix award.  Please read on below for a look at the full list of winners and nominees and a healthy congratulations to each and every one of them.

-’60th Japan Record Awards′ Winners/Nominees-

“Song of the Year” (Grand Prix) Nominations

• Keyakizaka46 – Ambivalent
• Hiroshi Miyama – Igosso Damashii
• TWICE – Wake Me Up
• SEKAI NO OWARI – Sazanka
• Kiyoshi Hikawa – Shoubu no Hanamichi
• Nogizaka46 – Synchronicity
• AKB48 – Teacher Teacher
• Daichi Miura – Be Myself
• Kana Nishino – Bedtime Story
• DA PUMP – U.S.A.

Best New Artist Nominations

• STU48
• Yuuto Tatsumi
• Chuning Candy
• BiSH

Comments from Committee Chairperson Fumihiko Sasomori (Nikkan Sports Shimbun):  The Grand Prix is meant to be bestowed upon a work which is not only strongly supported by the populace, but also possessed of artistic excellence, originality, excellent planning, and is truly reflective of the year in which it wins.  It is an award that is supposed to encompass more than the popularity of an artist or a particular track and also consider how the song in question has reached people of different generations.  The Newcomer Award is designed to recognize an artist whom has both the support of the masses as well as promise for the future.  Though Enka artists often take longer than Pop artists to flourish, we consider them for this award with equal measure.

Album of the Year

• Kenshi Yonezu – BOOTLEG

Album Excellence Award

• THE BEATNIKS – EXITENTIALIST A XIE XIE
• Wagakki Band – Otonoe
• Shinobu Ootake – SHINOBU avec PIAF
• Hikaru Utada – Hatsukoi

Comments from Committee Chairperson Issei Tomizawa (Music Critic):  The works selected for this honor are not able to simply be arranged in order from first to fifth place.  It is actually most analogous to the “Best Nine” awards given to those players whom are best in each specific position in Japanese baseball.  For example, we work to consider albums in such categories as “remarkable sales”, or an act (young or seasoned) demonstrating particular artistic skill, and pick the record which we believe stands strongest among its peers.  From this group of five superb albums (the best in their field), we – the judges – sit down and have a discussion to decide which of them best represents the year.

Japan Composer’s Association Award

• Junretsu

Best Vocalist Award

• MISIA

Special Award

• Tetsuya Komuro
• Southern All Stars
• DA PUMP
• Kenshi Yonezu

Composition Award

• Manabu Maruya (Little Glee Monster – “Sekai wa Anata ni Warai Kakete Iru”)

Verse (Lyrics) Award

• Goro Matsui : Hiroshi Takeshima – “Koimachi Counter” / Keisuke Yamauchi – “Sarase Fuyu no Arashi”

Arrangement Award

• Shingo Kubota (Leo Ieiri – “Moshi Kimi wo Yurusetara”)

Planning Award

• JUJU – I
• Akiko Wada with BOYS AND MEN Kenkyuusei – Ai wo Ganbatte
• Yukino Ichikawa & Ken Yokoyama (Crazy Ken Band) – Ame ni Nurete Futari
• Youichi Sugawara – Utai Tsuzukete 60-nen Furi Kaereba Beautiful Memory -85-sai no Watashi kara Anata e-
• Aya Shimazu – SINGER5
• Sukima Switch – Sukima no Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~
• Various Artists – Deserie – Doo Wop Nuggets Vol. 1 / Your Tender Lips – Doo Wop Nuggets Vol. 2 / That’s My Desire – Doo Wop Nuggets Vol. 3 (Supervision, Selection, and Commentary by Tatsuro Yamashita)
• Kitajima Kyoudai – Brother
• Kiyoshi Maekawa – Maekawa Kiyoshi Dai Jiten

Achievement Award

• Hiromi Sano
• Kazuo Shirane
• Akira Matsushima

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Takayuki Inoue
• Yuichiro Oda
• Kirin Kiki
• Hideki Saijou
• Kenichiro Morioka

(via natalie)