In my April 7 column, I wrote a piece titled "If only there was a second verse to Kimigayo." Many readers wrote in to say that originally there was a second verse.

I did some research and found that indeed there was a second verse to "Kimigayo." It appears in the music textbook "Shogaku Shokashu Shohen" (Elementary school song book volume 1) published in 1881.

It goes like this: "May the reign of the emperor continue until small pebbles at the bottom of a deep ravine turn into a rocky shore where cormorants live ... ."

The song does not end there. Moreover, there are more words to the first verse, which now ends with "Koke no musu made" (until a rock gathers moss). The tune is different, too. The two songs look alike but they are quite different.

This may all sound rather mysterious, but the one that appears in the 1881 book was seldom sung. The other "Kimigayo" was composed around the same time and became popular as a song to praise the emperor. It eventually became Japan's de facto national anthem. And it has no second verse.

While people no longer worship the emperor as a living god-that ended with Japan's defeat in World War II-"Kimigayo" lived on. But many people felt it was out of place with the changing times. For example, on Jan. 25, 1948, the Yomiuri Shimbun ran an editorial that said, "We want a new national anthem that befits a reborn Japan ... . A song that makes us want to sing has to be made, not one that we are made to sing."

But no new national anthem was created. Since that's the case, why can't we at least create a second verse to "Kimigayo" that is laced with a postwar message? That was what I wanted to say.

I received many letters from readers who supported my view. But as careless as I am, I didn't realize there were others who already had the same idea.

For example, when the national flag and anthem law was established in 1999, journalist Shinnosuke Inami called for the creation of second and third verses to "Kimigayo" in an article that ran in the September issue of the monthly magazine "Senryaku Keieisha." Inami, who was formerly with The Asahi Shimbun, suggested that the second verse start with the words, "We the people." He went on to suggest that it should wish for the people's prosperity and happiness. The third verse, he suggested, would contain the words "let us come together" and sing praise to the peaceful co-existence of all people living in Japan.

Around the same time, an Asahi Shimbun reader also wrote a letter to the editor proposing the creation of a second verse that states the ideals of humankind. Unfortunately, the newspaper did not run it. However, had such an idea bore fruit, the current confusion over forcing teachers and students to sing "Kimigayo" at official school functions and punishing those who refuse to do so would not have occurred.

According to the government, the lyrics of "Kimigayo" express the wish for lasting peace and prosperity of Japan, whose symbol is the emperor. Whatever the reason, the designation of "Kimigayo" as the national anthem was also tantamount to a declaration to continue the emperor system into the future.

It is true that many Japanese support the emperor system and believe in its continuity. But they support it only because the imperial family has also endeavored to cherish the people and make friends with foreign countries following Emperor Showa's declaration of humanity and decision to renounce his divinity after the war. I also recall how the current emperor spoke of his determination "to observe the Constitution of Japan together with the people" when he succeeded to the throne. By the same token, it was a significant development that the imperial family received Crown Princess Masako from a family of commoners to marry the crown prince as his father did with Empress Michiko, who was also a commoner. Even though there is no second verse to "Kimigayo," in effect, the imperial family has embodied the spirit of a second verse, so to speak.

But it is questionable whether the emperor system can really be sustained into the future as it is. Needless to say, my doubts were triggered by the recent comment by the crown prince about "moves to deny (Crown Princess Masako's) character" in addition to the long-standing question of a male heir and Masako's poor health.

Masako, a former career diplomat, married into the imperial family with the blessing of the people. But she not only found it hard to adapt to palace life but had to fight the pressure of producing a male heir. Furthermore, deprived of opportunities to freely travel abroad, something that she had thrived on before she married, the princess gradually became ill. Meanwhile, the crown prince has tried to desperately protect her. It is natural that such a story laced with tragedy and romance attracted public attention. In fact, weekly magazines are vying to run "inside stories" behind the Chrysanthemum curtain to arouse readers' curiosity virtually every week.

Although it is difficult to know what is really going on, one thing is certain: It is extremely difficult for members of the imperial family to live a normal life in modern society. Society has changed drastically from the time "Kimigayo" emerged.

For example, before the war, the scope of imperial families whose members were eligible to succeed to the throne was much broader. Like Emperor Taisho, some emperors were mothered by women other than empresses. It was a system that made it possible for the imperial lineage to carry on through generations by male descendants in the male line only. This practice is unthinkable today.

At the same time, who could have imagined back when "Kimigayo" was conceived that Japan would become such a free society as it is today or predicted the advent of an advanced information-oriented society ?

The imperial family is always exposed to a battery of cameras and media attention. Some people liken it to the price of fame that stars pay. But unlike movie stars or star athletes, they are not free to give vent to their emotions be it anger, joy or grief. Moreover, they have no freedom of speech, religion, residence or occupation that ordinary citizens take for granted. In particular, it is beyond imagination to grasp how difficult it was for a commoner to accept this gap.

Some people say that the imperial family with its esteemed tradition should distance itself from worldly matters. Although the argument is understandable, in this age, it is questionable whether its members can enjoy themselves and live happily if they are kept in seclusion.

Unless the imperial family is given more freedom and allowed to live normal lives in a more open setting like European royal families, sooner or later it will come to a deadlock. It may be possible to tide over the problem of succession by allowing a woman to become emperor but it would be difficult for her to find a husband.

What can be done to make the reign of the emperor continue for "one thousand, nay, eight thousand generations ..." to quote the national anthem?" The question is far more important for Japan than how to make schools sing it.

　（2004/07/09）