23rd Japan Record Awards
Date	31 December 1981
Location	Imperial Theatre, Tokyo, Japan
Hosted by	Keizō Takahashi
Most awards	Akira Terao (3)
Website	http://www.tbs.co.jp/recordaward/
Television/radio coverage
Network	Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
← 22nd · Japan Record Awards · 24th →

The 23rd Japan Record Awards ceremony was held on 31 December 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, Tokyo, and was broadcast live in Japan through the TBS Television network.^[1] The broadcast ran from 19:00 (JST) to 20:54 (JST).^[2] Keizō Takahashi hosted the ceremony for the thirteenth time.

The 23rd Japan Record Award went to Akira Terao for "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja). "Ruby no Yubiwa" also won the Gold Award as well as the Lyricist, Composer, and Arranger Awards. Best Vocal Performance went to Hiromi Iwasaki for "Sumire Iro no Namida" (ja), and Best New Artist went to Masahiko Kondō for "Gin Gira Gin ni Sarigenaku" (ja).

Main host

• Keizō Takahashi

Progress hosts

• Kentaro Watanabe (TBS announcer)
• Keiko Takeshita

• "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja)
  • Artist: Akira Terao
  • Lyricist: Takashi Matsumoto
  • Composer: Akira Terao
  • Arranger: Akira Inoue

• Hiromi Iwasaki – "Sumire Iro no Namida" (ja)

• Masahiko Kondō – "Gin Gira Gin ni Sarigenaku" (ja)

Best New Artist Award nominations.

• Masahiko Kondō – "Gin Gira Gin ni Sarigenaku" (ja)
• Takayuki Takemoto – "Terete Zin Zin"
• Yūko to Yayoi – "Otōsan"
• Yutaka Yamakawa – "Hakodate Honsen" (ja)
• Hiroyuki Okita – "Hamidashi Champion"

Japan Record Award nominations.

• Miyuki Kawanaka – "Anata Hitosuji"
• Shinichi Mori – "Inochi Ataete"
• Masako Mori – "Kanashimi Honsen Nihonkai" (ja)
• Hiroshi Itsuki – "Jinsei Kakurenbo" (ja)
• Kenji Sawada – "Stripper" (ja)
• Hiromi Iwasaki – "Sumire Iro no Namida" (ja)
• Hideki Saijo – "Sentimental Girl" (ja)
• Chanels – "Machikado Twilight" (ja)
• Toshiyuki Nishida – "Moshimo Piano ga Hajiketa nara" (ja)
• Akira Terao – "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja)

• Seiko Matsuda – "Kaze Tachinu" (ja)
• Tahara Toshihiko – "Good Luck Love" (ja)
• Naoko Kawai – "Smile For Me" (ja)
• Yoshie Kashiwabara – "Hello Goodbye" (ja)

• Off Course – We Are (ja)
• Yumi Matsutoya – Mizu no Naka no Asia e (ja)
• Eiichi Ohtaki – A Long Vacation

• Off Course – We Are (ja)
• Tatsuro Yamashita – On the Street Corner 1
• Yasuko Agawa – Sunglow
• Southern All Stars – Stereo Taiyō-zoku (ja)
• Yumi Matsutoya – Mizu no Naka no Asia e (ja)
• The Venus – Love Portion No.1
• Miyuki Nakajima – Ringetsu
• Eiichi Ohtaki – A Long Vacation
• Creation – Lonely Heart (ja)

• Takashi Matsumoto – "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja) (singer: Akira Terao)

Also known as the Shinpei Nakayama Award.

• Akira Terao – "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja) (singer: Akira Terao)

• Akira Inoue – "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ja) (singer: Akira Terao)

• Utako Matsushima

• Masayoshi Takanaka, Kitty Films, Polydor Records – Niji Densetsu
• King Records – Uta wa Ikiteiru
• Saori Yuki, Toshiba EMI – Shōwa Tsuyasho

• Yujiro Ishihara – "Brandy Glass" (ja)
• George Yamamoto – "Michi no Kuhitori Tabi" (ja)
• Tetsuya Ryu – "Okuhida Bojō" (ja)

• "Japan Grand Record Prize Awarded to Akira Terao". Billboard. 23 January 1982. p 86.

• Official website