Departures of note

Toru Shigemi was a Japanese keyboardist and arranger born in Tokyo on January 6, 1959. As a young musician he was selected for Tatsuro Yamashita's band, where his talent quickly blossomed, and he later served for many years as bandmaster for singer MISIA's live performances. He was also active in countless other sessions and stages into recent years. As an arranger, Shigemi contributed to Kiroro's 'Nagai Aida' and created film music. His fellow musicians highlighted his iconic piano introduction to CHAGE and ASKA's 'SAY YES' and his arrangement of the song 'river', which grew into a beloved hit. Singer-songwriter Higashino Junji credited Shigemi with shaping the direction of his fourth album 'Dreamboat', praising the unique sounds only Shigemi could create, including a memorable Celtic-inspired approach achieved by adjusting the pitch of a shakuhachi. Percussionist Saito Nobu, who performed with Shigemi on the 1990s TV Tokyo program 'Tamori no Ongaku wa Sekai da' and the band Nob Caine, was among the many collaborators who publicly mourned his passing, with ASKA recalling him as a dear colleague one year his junior. His death was widely reported by fellow musicians' official accounts in September 2026.