The verdict
Cleared After Dispute
A real copyright dispute — A Taste of Honey mistakenly treated the 1961 original as public-domain folk music — resolved via negotiated settlement. The settlement’s documented inequity (Janice-Marie Johnson surrendered all credit and royalties for the English lyrics she wrote, and was never compensated), alongside her own gesture of funding the original writers’ gold records, is presented plainly in the Receipts.
Used by independents?
No — no independent use documented so far; only major-label artists.
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Rokusuke Ei & Hachidai Nakamura
Discogs → · checked Jul 2026
The historical publisher — Beechwood Music Corp (per the A Taste of Honey single credit) — present-day status unverified
Discogs → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — the only Japanese-language song ever to top the US Hot 100 (1963); the English-lyric cover (A Taste of Honey, 1981) was #1 R&B/AC, and 4 P.M. (1994, #8) and Selena (1990) reused those same lyrics.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; the underlying composition has confirmed writers, but the English-lyric cover carries a documented, unresolved credit inequity — see the Receipts.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
Slick Rick quoted this song’s English lyrics on “La Di Da Di”
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Rokusuke Ei (lyrics) & Hachidai Nakamura (music)
The historical publisherBeechwood Music Corp
The dispute and its resolutionA Taste of Honey mistakenly treated the original as public-domain “folk” music; it was not. The resulting copyright dispute was settled — and as part of the resolution, Janice-Marie Johnson, who had written the entirely new English lyrics for the group’s hit cover, was required to give up ALL songwriting/publishing credit and rights to those lyrics in exchange for Capitol being allowed to release the record.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
An entirely arbitrary Western retitling
In 1962 Pye Records’ Louis Benjamin renamed the song “Sukiyaki” — a beef dish he enjoyed — simply because it was easier for English speakers to say; it has no connection to the song’s content. A Newsweek columnist likened it to releasing “Moon River” in Japan retitled “Beef Stew.”
Sukiyakisong.com · read it →
Janice-Marie Johnson on never being compensated
In a 2013 interview, Johnson said the song “brought a lot of joy, but also a lot of sadness,” and that she receives no royalties for the English lyrics she personally wrote — despite the cover becoming A Taste of Honey’s longest-charting single (#1 R&B/AC, gold). She said she believes lyricist Rokusuke Ei is unaware and would want it corrected. Stated plainly, no lyrics reproduced.
Rafu Shimpo (Johnson interview) · read it →
A generous gesture despite her own situation
After the cover went gold, Johnson personally funded gold-record awards for original writers Ei and Nakamura (after Capitol declined to), travelling to Tokyo with bandmate Hazel Payne to present them and touring alongside Kyu Sakamoto, whom she described as one of the kindest people she ever met.
Rafu Shimpo · read it →
A direct connection to an existing catalog entry
Slick Rick referenced this song’s English lyrics on “La Di Da Di” (already in this catalog), a reference that subsequently appeared in numerous other hip-hop songs.
Wikipedia (Kyu Sakamoto) · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A Taste of Honey (1981) · 4 P.M. (1994) · Selena (1990)
Covers
1981
First flip
Who to Contact
KS
Rokusuke Ei & Hachidai Nakamura
The confirmed songwriters of record (the composition)
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 2)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass