Keiko Fuji

Keiko Fuji (藤 圭子 Fuji Keiko?), real name Junko Utada (宇多田 純子 Utada Junko?) (born Junko Abe (阿部 純子 Abe Junko?); July 5, 1951 – August 22, 2013) was a Japanese enka singer and actress. She had success in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s with her ballad-type songs. Her parents were itinerant musical performers.

Keiko Fuji was born in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Her father was a rōkyoku singer. Her mother was a blind shamisen player or goze. As a child, Fuji sometimes accompanied her parents and sang with them when they were on tour. Her song "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" (Keiko's version of "Yume wa Yoru Hiraku") won the "mass popularity award" at the Japan Record Award in 1970. By this song, she took part in the 21st Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

She married the Enka singer Kiyoshi Maekawa and retired from singing in 1979, announcing her retirement during a TV show on 30 December of that year. The marriage ended in divorce, after which she emigrated to the USA.