 From the Democratic Party of Japan, members objected, due to the lack of any historical ties to the meaning.The strongest critic was Kazuo Shii, the chairman of the Communist Party of Japan, who strongly claimed that "Japan" could not be derived from "Kimigayo", because the lyrics only mention wishing for the emperor to have a long reign.Shii also objected to the use of the song as the national anthem because for a democratic nation, a song about the emperor is not appropriate.