was the fourth single by the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese band The Blue Hearts

The Blue Hearts

was a popular Japanese punk rock band that performed from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. In 2003, they were ranked by HMV Japan as number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts...

. Though it was released after their major debut, it was written before they signed with a major label. It was released as a "double A-side" track on July 1, 1988, with "Chernobyl" (チェルノブイリ), a controversial single that was included with the release. Lyrics and music were written by Hiroto Kōmoto

Hiroto Komoto

is a Japanese rock singer who has fronted bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons. The official kanji for his name are 甲本 浩人, but katakana is used when writing his name in official publications.-Personal History:...

, the band's lead vocalist, and was arranged by The Blue Hearts. It was not included in any albums other than compilation albums. The track is 9m17s in length.

"Chernobyl" caused controversy

Chernobyl disaster

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...

 because it was a song protesting the nuclear industry

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...

. At the time, the band was signed with Meldac Records, which was supported by Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi

The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...

, who was heavily invested in the nuclear industry. Instead of bowing to pressure to drop the song, they left the label and produced the song independently, leading to their eventual signing with East West Japan.

Though there are three songs on the release, the actual B-side track was "Sha La La" (シャララ), which was also written by Kōmoto. "Chernobyl" was written by Masatoshi Mashima

Masatoshi Mashima

is a guitarist who has performed with Japanese rock bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons. He was born in Hino and raised in Kodaira in Tokyo, Japan.His nickname while playing was "Marcy."-Solo albums:...

, the band's guitarist. Originally, "Too Much Pain

Too Much Pain

was the twelfth single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts and reached #29 on the Oricon charts in 1992.-Details:Too Much Pain was released as part of The Blue Hearts' fifth album, High Kicks, which had been released on December 21, 1991, but the song itself was from the band's amateur days many...

" was to be included, instead of "Sha La La", but the sound of the song did not fit as well as "Sha La La".