Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is the soundtrack from the film of the same name, released on 1 May 1983 in Japan and towards the end of August 1983 in the UK.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film has since become a cult classic, largely due to its soundtrack.

[5] David Sylvian contributed lyrics and vocals on "Forbidden Colours", a vocal version of the main theme, "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", both of which were released as singles.

A special 30th anniversary edition, which included a second CD of tracks, was released in November 2013 in Japan.

[6] All tracks are written by Ryuichi Sakamoto, except where noted