"Can you fight 24 hours, Japanese businessman?" The satirical question, posed by a commercial jingle now running on Japanese television, has struck a chord in that workaholic society. The mock-martial melody promotes Regain, a caffeine-and-vitamin beverage billed as a pick-me-up for weary workers. Sales of Regain, produced by pharmaceutical giant Sankyo, have jumped sharply since the jingle went on the air last June and became a national craze. The Japanese are dancing to the Regain song at bars and singing it at schools, offices, athletic meets and cultural festivals.
Last November Epic/Sony released a CD single of the jingle, sung by...