"Emperor's Birthday Event Held in Seoul, Kimigayo Played Again This Year"

Japan's National Anthem 'Kimigayo' Played Amid Militarism Controversy
Promoting Fukushima Safety... Serving Fukushima-made Nihonshu

At the event commemorating Emperor Naruhito's birthday held in Seoul and hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Korea, the Japanese national anthem "Kimigayo" was played for the second consecutive year.

The Sankei Shimbun reported that on the 14th, a birthday celebration for Emperor Naruhito was held at a hotel in Seoul, attended by about 450 domestic and international guests, hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Korea. Emperor Naruhito's birthday is on February 23.

Emperor Naruhito (left) and Empress Masako appeared in the 2021 New Year's video message.
[Photo by Imperial Household Agency of Japan video capture]

Katsuhiro Kuroda, a guest editorial writer for the Sankei Shimbun based in Seoul, stated on the 17th in a report titled "The Embassy of Japan in Korea's Bold Decision?" that "Kimigayo was solemnly played at the beginning of this year's (commemorative event) as a matter of diplomatic protocol."

An official from the Japanese embassy explained that regarding the absence of Kimigayo at this event in previous years, "We had been considerate not to burden the attendees, but that was somewhat excessive," and added, "Playing the national anthem at embassy-hosted events is natural, and in the context of improving Korea-Japan relations, we decided this time to play Kimigayo along with the Korean national anthem as a matter of course."

Kimigayo has been used as the national anthem since the Meiji era (1868?1912), was abolished after the Pacific War, but despite controversies over militarism and opposition from progressive groups and Okinawa, it was legally established as the national anthem in 1999. Opponents of Kimigayo argue that the word 'Im' in the lyrics, which means 'reign' in the phrase "May your reign continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations until the tiny pebbles grow into massive rocks covered with moss," refers to the Emperor, and that Kimigayo symbolizes militaristic Japan by wishing for the eternal reign of the Emperor.

The photo is not related to the article. [Photo by Yonhap News]

At this year's commemorative event, famous sake from various regions of Japan, including "Nihonshu" (clear rice wine) from Fukushima, the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, was served. The Japanese government also served Fukushima-produced Nihonshu at the G7 summit dinner held in Hiroshima in May last year to promote the safety of Fukushima agricultural and marine products.

According to reports, female attendees wore traditional Japanese kimonos, and male participants also wore them. Kuroda noted that this was the first time men wore traditional Japanese attire at this event. Korean traditional dancer Ri-hye Kim, of Korean-Japanese descent, participated wearing a hanbok.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.