"Kimigayo" (君が代?) is Japan's national anthem. It is also one of the world's shortest national anthems in current use, with a length of 11 measures and 32 characters.[1][2][3] Its lyrics are based on a Waka poem written in the Heian period (794-1185), sung to a melody written in the later Meiji period. The current melody was chosen in 1880, replacing an unpopular melody composed eleven years earlier. Although Kimigayo had long been Japan's de facto national anthem, it was only legally recognized in 1999 with the passage of Law Regarding the National Flag and National Anthem. Japanese Lyrics: 君が代は 千代に八千代に さざれ石の 巌となりて 苔の生すまで English Translation: May your reign Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations, Until the pebbles Grow into boulders Lush with moss

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