The Tokyo metropolitan board of education started a mandatory training program on Monday for teachers who have been reprimanded for failing to stand up and sing Japan's national anthem, "Kimigayo," during school ceremonies
Some of the teachers had called for a court injunction against the program in mid-July, saying it would violate individuals' rights to freedom of belief and thought.
While the Tokyo District Court turned down the request for the injunction on July 23, saying the specifics of the program were unclear, it said, "Should an identical training program be forced repeatedly on teachers and their freedom of thought infringed, it may violate the Constitution or law."
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan School Personnel In-service Training Center, the program, dubbed "training to prevent a recurrence of service accident," is designed to raise teachers' awareness about their role as public servants for educational services and to urge them to reflect on their actions.
It will be offered to around 200 teachers. A total of 243 teachers were orally reprimanded and given other forms of punishment. The remaining teachers quit their jobs.
The teachers, along with the principals of the schools they belong to, will be given lectures on their obligations of service and legal provisions, according to the center.
Participants are divided into four groups with some receiving closed-door training on Monday and the remainder a week later.
About a one-hour lecture on the Local Public Service Law and service obligations was given Monday morning to around 60 teachers and they were asked to submit reports on the lecture, according to participants.
The lecturer, a metropolitan government official, did not touch on the "Kimigayo" issue, but stressed that they should fulfill their obligations as public servants, the participants said.
About 300 teachers and supporters rallied in front of the center in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward to lodge a protest, demanding the education board stop "thought control."
On July 16, 137 teachers filed the injunction against the program as well as a suit seeking 10,000 yen in damages per person.
The board issued an order Oct 23, 2003, requiring metropolitan government-run schools to display the Hinomaru national flag and sing the national anthem during enrollment and graduation ceremonies.
It also stipulates that those who do not comply with the order will be subject to penalties.
The Hinomaru and "Kimigayo," or "His Majesty's Reign," were defined by law in 1999 as Japan's national flag and anthem. But they remain controversial due to their symbolic links to Japan's imperial system and militarist past. (Kyodo News
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