The musician was considered a pioneer of electronic music and a pioneer for music genres such as synth pop, house music and hip hop. However, he became known for his film music, including for the film "Furyo - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (1983). He also acted alongside his friend David Bowie in the war drama. The song "Forbidden Colors" became an international hit.

Sakamoto lived in New York for decades. In his native Japan he was a big star, was active in the anti-nuclear movement and founded a relief fund in 2011 to replace school pianos destroyed in the tsunami disaster. In 2014 he survived lung cancer. In 2015 he composed the film music for "The Revenant". In 2018 Sakamoto sat on the jury of the Berlinale.

In early 2021, the musician then announced that he was being treated for colon cancer. His management shared one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes with the news of his death on Sunday: "Art is long, life is short."