BRITONS favour the kind of Christmas hits which range from Bob the Builder’s Can We Fix It? to Sir Cliff Richard’s saccharine Mistletoe and Wine.

Not so in Japan, where a company anthem has become a festive hit after a tiny Japanese demolition company released its corporate song.

Nihon Break Kogyo’s catchy call to demolish buildings, written and sung by one of the firm’s workers, burst into Japan’s leading Oricon music chart at number 22 last week, in what has to be one of the most bizarre hits recorded.

The song, set to a tune that has already been adapted into ring tones for mobile phones, exhorts the company’s workers to do their best at whatever they demolish.

“We will destroy houses. We will destroy bridges. We will destroy buildings. To the east, to the west, run, run, Nihon Break Kogyo.”

According to those who have heard the tune, it is popular because it is not like your average propaganda-fuelled corporate anthem, sounding more like punk rock.

The song, which is set to be added to the song lists of two major karaoke distributors later this month, was recorded two years ago. It had been nearly forgotten by the company when it was featured in a televison programme in October and became a cult classic among teenagers.

Shogo Kurita, a Nihon Break Kogyo board member, said: “We decided to sell CD copies of our company song simply because we didn’t want to handle so many phone calls and internet inquiries any more.”

The 16-strong workforce of Nihon Break Kogyo struggled to field about 100 song-related calls a day and bit the bullet.

The song, which is written by a 32-year old aspiring musician who goes by the name of Manzo, has also become a big hit on the internet. According to one review on Amazon, the internet retailer: “The lyrics have an enormous impact. Maybe this song is more radical and aggressive than songs created by mediocre punk rock bands.”