"Big in Japan" is the debut single of German synth-pop band Alphaville, from their 1984 album Forever Young.

In a 2022 interview, Alphaville lead singer Marian Gold said that it is "a great privilege" to have "Big in Japan" and "Forever Young" in "their luggage" when touring, and that he is grateful to be able to perform the songs.

"[5] Gold later explained: "We originally weren’t sure whether we should put it on the album, because it’s a bit autobiographical in that it reflects my time in West Berlin in the late 70s, with the drug scene around the train station and the zoo, and all the underground things.

1 on the German singles chart, the song displaced "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, whose lead singer Holly Johnson had been a member of the band Big in Japan.

Gold considered this a remarkable coincidence[5] and later said that "we never got to speak with him but he must have wondered 'who is this German group with a song named after my band?'".

[39] In 2000, Guano Apes released a cover version of "Big in Japan" as the lead single for their second album Don't Give Me Names[40] on 12 April 2000.