Japanese singer-songwriter Shinji Tanimura, who was known for hit songs including "Subaru," or Star, which also made him popular in China, died earlier this month at the age of 74, his music agency said Monday.

Tanimura had undergone surgery in March due to enteritis and canceled a planned nationwide tour of Alice to recuperate, but died on Oct. 8, the agency said.

Tanimura, born in Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, made his musical album debut as a member of the three-man band Alice in the early 1970s. The trio produced one hit after another, such as "Champion" and "Fuyu no Inazuma," or Winter Lightning.

Through his music, Tanimura keenly promoted friendly relations between Japan and China, holding several concerts in China and serving as a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Tanimura's 1980 solo signature piece "Subaru" is widely known across China, with the song being sung with Chinese lyrics. He performed the song at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

The Japanese government awarded him a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2015 for his contributions to the development of art and culture by creating a body of work that appealed widely not only in his home country but throughout Asia. 

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