Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is the soundtrack from the 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, released on 1 May 1983 in Japan and in August 1983 in the UK. It was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also starred in the film. It was Sakamoto's first film score, though it was released several weeks after the film Daijōbu, My Friend, for which he also composed the music.