Junko Ohashi (大橋 純子, Ōhashi Junko, April 26, 1950 – November 9, 2023) was a Japanese singer best known for her songs "Silhouette Romance" (1981) and "Tasogare My Love" (1978). She was known for her "overwhelming singing ability" and was mainly successful between late 1970s and early 1980s.^[1] Her discography consist of more than 20 albums.^[2] After a brief hiatus battling esophageal and breast cancer, she returned to music in 2019 before dying from her esophageal cancer, which had returned in 2023.^[3]

Ohashi was born in Yūbari, Hokkaido, Japan on April 26, 1950, the oldest of four children from a family that ran a restaurant.^[1][4] She graduated from Hokkaido Yubari High School, later attending and graduating from Fuji Women's Junior College. While at college, she joined a band.

Ohashi made her debut as a singer with the album Feeling Now (1974).^[4] She had her breakout in 1978, with the hit "Tasogare My Love", the theme song of the TBS drama series Shishi no Gotoku.^[5] During her initial stages of her career, she was known to sing hard rock, but switched to soul after being inspired by artists Sérgio Mendes and Janis Joplin.^[6] She accompanied Kiyohiko Ozaki on a live tour, and later served as a supporting act.

In 1976, she released the song "Paper Moon", which became a hit. With the success of the album of the same name, she formed the band Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station.^[7] In 1978, she released the song "Tasogare My Love", which won her a Gold Award during the 20th Japan Record Awards. In 1981, she released the song "Silhouette Romance", which ranked at number 7 on the Oricon Singles Chart, was awarded best song at the 24th Japan Record Awards and sold over 500,000 copies.^[4][8] She also participated in several editions of the Kōhaku Uta Gassen competition, starting from 1979.^[4]

In 2018, she announced that she would be on hiatus after revealing that she had esophageal cancer, returning to recording and touring in March 2019.^[9][10]

Ohashi met composer Ken Sato while he was working at Yamaha, marrying him in 1979.^[11]

In 2018, she revealed that she was diagnosed with early-stage esophageal cancer, cancelling tours in order to focus on her treatment, but was able to resume touring after during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.^[12] In March 2019, she revealed that she had also suffered from breast cancer.^[13] On March 22, 2023, she reported a relapse and stopped touring to again focus on treating the cancer.^[13] On November 9, 2023, Ohashi died.^[14][15] Her wake was held at Zōjō-ji temple on November 15.^[16]