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Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九 ''Sakamoto Kyū''), born '''Hisashi Oshima''' (大島九, ''Ōshima Hisashi'', November 10 1941 - August 12 1985 ) was a popular Japan ese singer and actor. He was born in Kawasaki , Kanagawa Prefecture . His most popular song, '' Ue O Muite Arukō '' ("Let's walk while looking up") known as ''Sukiyaki'' in the West, was a hit in Japan and topped the Billboard Pop Charts in the United States in 1963 - the first and only song to date to do so sung entirely in Japanese. The song text is a tragic story, which many westerners are unaware of. The song was translated into English by the female R&B duo A Taste Of Honey in 1981; the English version, which told the story of a love gone wrong, was almost as big a hit as the original, reaching #3 on the Hot 100, and returned to the Top 10 in 1994 by the R&B vocal group 4 P.M. Sakamoto, however, had only other song reach the U.S. charts, "China Nights (Shina no Yoru)," which peaked at #58 in 1963. One of his best known and most beloved songs was "Ashita ga Aru Sa" ("There's Always Tomorrow"). This was covered by Japanese group Ulfuls in 2001. In 1985 , Sakamoto was killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 . Before the aircraft impacted the ground, he was able to write a farewell note to his wife Yukiko Kasiwagi . ALBUMS 1963 - '' Sukiyaki And Other Japanese Hits '' 2005 - '' Kyu Sakamoto Memorial Best '' FILMOGRAPHY
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