Formed in London, England in early 1974, Japan comprised David Sylvian (b. David Batt, 23 February 1958, Beckenham, Kent, England; vocals), his brother Steve Jansen (b. Steven Batt, 1 December 1959, Beckenham, Kent, England; drums), Richard Barbieri (b. 30 November 1957; keyboards) and Mick Karn (b. Anthony Michaelides, 24 July 1958, Nicosia, Cyprus; saxophone/bass). A second guitarist, Rob Dean, was added to the line-up when the band won a recording contract with the German record company Ariola-Hansa. During the same period, they joined forces with manager Simon Napier-Bell.
Japan's derivative pop style hampered their prospects during 1978, and they suffered a number of hostile reviews. Eminently unfashionable in the UK punk era, they first found success in Japan. After three albums with Ariola-Hansa, they switched to Virgin Records in 1980 and found their fortunes dramatically improving thanks to the surge of popularity in the New Romantic movement. Japan's androgynous image made them suddenly fashionable and they registered a UK Top 20 single with "Quiet Life", and Top 10 hits with "Ghosts" and a cover version of Smokey Robinson And The Miracles' "I Second That Emotion". Their albums Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981) were also well received.
Disagreements between Karn and Sylvian undermined the band's progress just as they were achieving some long-overdue success, and they split in late 1982. The members diversified into collaborative work and solo careers, reuniting (minus Dean) in 1991 for a project under the moniker of Rain Tree Crow.
