On March 30th, AKB48 sang the national anthem at the Tokyo Dome for the opening ceremony of this year's baseball season.

This opening ceremony was held before the Yomiuri Giants vs.�Yakult Swallows game.�16 members including Maeda Atsuko, Oshima Yuko, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, and Kashiwagi Yuki participated in singing "Kimigayo".

AKB48 has previously thrown the first pitch at Tokyo Dome for Yomiuri Giants vs.�Hiroshima Toyo Carp game back in July of 2009. As their first time singing the national anthem, the girls showed a slight nervousness as they walked out onto the field. After singing "Kimigayo", they received a warm round of applause from the audience.

Oshima commented, "The last time I sang 'Kimigayo' was in school. This was my first experience singing a capella." Takahashi also expressed, "I can't put a score on it, but I sang with feeling so I have a sense of satisfaction."

You can check out photos and footage of the girls singing the national anthem below!

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Sources: Sanspo, Daily Sports