Comrade K.K. Album cover?

[Lazyrs9090]

What's the cover supposed to be?
I've always been fascinated by e-Reader cards, but I was curious why the Japanese and North American cards were so different.

This is a side by side comparison of Comrade K.K.'s album cover back in the GameCube days.
I don't understand what the Japanese cover is supposed to be. Surely it can't be something relating to the KGB.

 

[MelonPan]

In Japanese, Comrade K.K. is called "しょうわけけかよう"/Showa KK Song. The Shōwa era, is a period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926, through January 7, 1989. The Japanese cover features KK Slider in the appearance of Hirohito.

Perhaps it was changed to the Russian image, because the song resembles traditional Russian Hopak dancing, and because it wouldn't have made sense since they changed the name to Comrade KK instead.

 

[saehanfox]

I like the original one better, the cover used in NL barely has a Russian theme.

 

[Lazyrs9090]

Oh wow, that's interesting. The song is clearly Eastern Europe-influenced, and I'm thinking this was from the two country's interaction with each other in the Russo-Japanese war.