The phrase was popularised in Japanese politics by Takashi Tachibana, founder of the party formed to oppose NHK, Japan's public broadcaster and its licence fee system. Shouting NHK wo bukkowasu, literally destroy NHK, became his signature line in broadcasts, street speeches and online videos during the 2010s. Clips of the slogan spread beyond campaign coverage as a meme, reused in edits and remixes by people who knew the line mainly as an angry, over the top catchphrase rather than a policy statement.