| 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 |
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).
- ^ "活動〜日本レコード大賞〜【公益社団法人 日本作曲家協会】" (in Japanese). Japan Composer's Association. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ "第23回レコード大賞" (in Japanese). sound.jp. Retrieved 6 July 2018.