Mon May 29, 2006 6:21 AM BST
TOKYO (Reuters) - An English parody of Japan's national anthem with the title "Kiss Me" is spreading on the Internet, the latest protest over forcing teachers to sing the song at school ceremonies.
Japan's "Kimigayo" anthem, based on an ancient poem praising the emperor, has been seen by critics at home and elsewhere in Asia as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
It was only legally made the national anthem in 1999.
The United States recently had its own furore over its national anthem when the release of a Spanish-language version sparked outrage among conservatives there.
Several hundred Japanese teachers have been punished for refusing to sing "Kimigayo" since the Tokyo Metropolitan government issued a directive in 2003 instructing high school teachers to stand and sing the anthem at school ceremonies.
The parody of "Kimigayo" making the rounds on the Internet offers one solution by providing English lyrics that sound enough like the Japanese original that casual listeners could not tell the difference.
Kimigayo, set to a melancholy 19th century melody, begins with "Thousands of years of happy reign be thine."
The parody starts with "Kiss me, girl, and your old one."
The conservative daily Sankei Shimbun, which carried a report on the parody on its front page on Monday, said the song was an attempt to "sabotage" the national anthem.
A Web site presenting the parody, the origins of which were unclear, said the song was for people forced into circumstances where they had to sing the anthem despite personal opposition.
"We hope that this parody will become a small pillar of opposition in peoples' hearts," the site added.
http://today.reuters...HEM.XML&src=rss
Thanks to Dr Lecter for this one
I'm guessing its going to be stuck on eBaumsworld with a stupid video and a watermark in... ooh... shall we say ten minutes now?
This post has been edited by Chyld: 29 May 2006 - 09:33 AM