A question recently from a Patreon member got me to wonder about an incident from several years back involving J-pop star Shiina Ringo (椎名林檎). Is the pop star secretly a Japanese right-wing nationalist? And what sparked all the speculation in the first place? I take a look at discussion from that time period – and what the singer herself said in response. I also took some time to delve into the history behind why the Japanese public reacts so harshly to nationalistic-sounding songs.
Hurray Hurray, Gorgeous Clear Skies
The incident surrounds the singer’s 2014 song “NIPPON”. Shiina wrote the number at the request of NHK for the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
The song and accompanying video were almost instantly controversial. The video itself is pretty straightforward – it’s Shiina performing the song backed by her band. But it does kick off with an ostentatious display of the Hi No Maru, Japan’s national flag.
However, it’s the lyrics that really got everyone’s attention. Lyrics like “Cheers! Cheers! To the front! We’re this generation’s soldiers of fortune!” (万歳！万歳！いざ出陣！) drew criticism for a nationalistic – almost imperialistic – tone.
Ring Wing Pop Controversies
It wasn’t the first – and it wouldn’t be the last – time a singer got in trouble for what some perceived as an overly nationalistic song.
