Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English band Japan, released on 13 November 1981 by record label Virgin. It peaked at No. 12 on the UK charts, and featured the top 5 single "Ghosts". It has received acclaim as the band's best and most original work.
Joseph Burnett of The Quietus described Tin Drum in 2013 as "unique in pop history, a fearlessly ambitious, unusual and conceptual work of art that defies genre categorisation."In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Ned Raggett called it Japan's "most unique, challenging, and striking album". Trouser Press wrote that Tin Drum "presents Japan at peak form".
Roland Orzabal of the band Tears for Fears called Tin Drum "an absolute conceptual masterpiece from lyrics to artwork... just everything", and has stated that it was a primary influence on Tears for Fears' first album The Hurting.
On 6 September 2011, BBC Radio 6 Music awarded Tin Drum a "Goldie" award for the best album of 1981.