But for some in Japan, the flag of the rising sun and the lyrics to the "Kimigayo (The Emperor's Reign)" anthem are painful reminders of the militant nationalism that led to World War II.

Now, the government says public school teachers must honor the flag, stand-up and sing the anthem at school ceremonies, whether or not they agree.

If not, they may be fired.

"We are educating young minds to respect the flag and the anthem. It is a teacher's duty. If they don't do their job, they will be held responsible," says Kimikazu Tatsumi from the Tokyo Board of Education

In some cases, right-wing protesters have harassed unrepentant teachers.

"If you don't like it, leave the country!" yells one activist outside a school, sparking a heated argument.

The rules have created a big stir in Japan.

In April, around 180 teachers at metropolitan senior high schools or schools for disabled children were reprimanded for behaving "unprofessionally" during graduation ceremonies the previous month, the education board said.

Among the regulations: the national flag must be placed at the front of the auditorium stage; all teachers must stand and face the flag; and all must sing the national anthem.

To make sure that teachers were observing the rules, special monitors were dispatched to school ceremonies to take note of which teachers weren't standing or singing.

Critics call the law "forced patriotism" and say it doesn't belong in Japan's modern democracy.

English teacher Toru Kondo has repeatedly refused to stand for the anthem.

After numerous reprimands, he has now been threatened with a salary cut.

But Toru is fighting back with a lawsuit, calling the regulation unconstitutional.

"Please stand up but don't force people who don't like to stand up and sing the national anthem," he said.

"I will not stand up, never stand up."

Some parents fear the effect the rules will have on their children.

"These are my children. They are not the hostages or resources of the Tokyo Board of Education," one mother says.

"I cannot stand that our children will be taught by teachers forced into teaching something they don't believe in."

The enforcement of the law, which was put forth in 1999 by then prime minister Keizo Obuchi, comes at a unique time in Japan's post-WWII history.

Current Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has recently sent troops from its Self Defense Force to Iraq, amid much public fear the soldiers could be drawn into conflict which would go against Japan's pacifist 1947 constitution.

Though the constitution allows for Japan only to have forces for self-defense, parliament passed and enacted a law in July that allowed troops to be sent to help rebuild Iraq.

The law, however, specifies that military personnel be sent only to "non-combat" zones.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/05/0...riot/index.html

I am curious as to what people's opinion about this. I think that it is ridiculous that people must fear loss of their job in order to respect the flag. In no other country are things like this. I support these laws. Force these people to respect their nation.

"These are my children. They are not the hostages or resources of the Tokyo Board of Education," one mother says"

This woman is clearly ridiculous. Her children are just that. People are the nation's resource this is for every country.

""I cannot stand that our children will be taught by teachers forced into teaching something they don't believe in."

This is ridiculous idealism. Atleast it now no longer matters what they believe in.

This is indeed news.

Well for my point of view it depends on the citizens loyalty towards their country.

If their patriotic towards their own country they would surely stand up and sing

in front of their national flag.

There is an old saying for this " No matter how much you try to force the horse to

drink it still won't if it doesn't want to drink, ".

A people's nation must serve willingly to create a nation that lives in harmony.

So no matter how much you force people to abide by the rules they will submit reluctantly but in there hearts there is no loyalty.

For if one is forced to do something which he/she doesn't like the person may likely turn on his/her government.

Oppression does no one any good.

Sure they would serve the government but the government won't know where would their loyalties would lie should the time come when the whole nation is in trouble.

It seems that the Japanese government wants to think of their citizens as its property. Resources to be harnessed and exploited by the government.

An outdated view however, such itemization of peoples akins it to feudal styles of governemnt where normal civilians are property. Like Bringer of Death said, this forced patriotism has no place in a democracy. Respect is something that cannot be forced onto people. Continued impression will only beget resentment.

This isn't too different from the U.S. public school and how children are forced to recite the pledge of allegiance to God every morning.

I thought the pledge of allegiance has been revoked? Also isnt all form of religon know banned from public schools?

Revoked? The last time I checked, hundreds of millions of children across the U.S. still pledge their allegiance to the Christian God every morning, whether they are Christian, or even religious at all.

Religons are SUPPOSED to be separated from public school.

Hello Hiroki. You and I have conflicting ideas. That is ok I welcome your opinion. Though I do not think you see what our government is attempting to do. I will explaine in a moment.

"It seems that the Japanese government wants to think of their citizens as its property. Resources to be harnessed and exploited by the government."

Are they not resources of the country? With out people the country is worthless.

"An outdated view however, such itemization of peoples akins it to feudal styles of governemnt where normal civilians are property."

This is a interesting thought.

" Like Bringer of Death said, this forced patriotism has no place in a democracy."

This is common practice in most nations I am sure. When I first arrived in america they did the "pledge for america". Now I refused this at first and the result was that they banned me from my classes and harassed my parents over the phone until I did. As much as I do not respect the american flag it is improper to show disrespect like that. The americans handle this quite well.


" Continued impression will only beget resentment."

I disagree. Perhaps from this generation of teachers but not from the next generation. Do you honestly think that this only about a flag? It is a clear attempt to repair the destroyed japanese national identity. That is what it is truly about my friend. The teachers are not the real target here. They are aiming at the japanese youth. That is who they really want to respect the country. Is this method extreme? Yes but so is japan's damaged national identity. One extreme requires another.

we don't have to say pledge to allegiance to god every morning. It's not a rule or law in commonwealth of Virginia.

In Texas you do.

The word God in the Pledge of Allegiance was not intentionally added because of it's religious significance. It was the result of anti-communist sentiment in cold war time period.

During the cold war, the U.S.S.R. and other communist nations were considered to be "godless" nations. So to spur patriotisim and create more differences between the republican and communist nations they added the word "god" into the pledge of alligence.

So you see they didn't add it because of religious zeal but because they wanted to be much more 'different' from the communists.

blame it all on Red Scare and MacCarthy

That's still a crappy lame excuse. They ought to remove it from the pledge and make it secular. If the enemy is very Christian, do you make schoolchildren pledge under Satan? Communism was simply used as an excuse for religious fanatics to increase their influence.

Exactly.

Agreed, but realistically, what government DOESN'T see its populace as resources to be harnessed and exploited?

Do you have a link?





If america became an animalistic, warmongering nation who thirst for blood and violence, and lack morals. Sure why not?

It depends on what the society values and what the symbol represents. In my perception "God" was chosen because it symboloizes what the american people value. To the general american people's eyes the word "god" is generic word and symbolizes the good attributes of all supreme beings and creator(s) (we all know they even think buddha is god) not just the christian god. There are even known athesists who worship/pledge/confirm the devil symbol (I forget what it's called) because it represents something they value.

Anyways, we all interpret the pledge in different ways. Some people become offended because they interpret it in another.

What's wrong with it? I've done it since I was born. We don't listen to the anthem but we say the pledge. One does not have tom say the pledge but you must stand for it. We had some drama back in freshman year when a girl refused to say the pledge...

The pledge is no more than 10 seconds. What's the big deal?

Look at who drove the idea in the first place: The Catholic fraternal society of the Knights of Columbus. Right now, it's just really convenient for a lot of religion-pushers that kids are being forced to pledge allegiance under God, so they mumble something about it "symbolizing America". Seculars would never have thought of throwing the word "God" all over the place as a reaction to Communism, and it's not because they don't get good ideas. The very notion would be appalling to them. There was enough differentiation between Communists and the free world in "liberty and justice for all". The whole drive to put God in the pledge was religious from the get-go and all the way through.


There are few "values" more un-American than religious fascism. "God" is not an American value. Freedom is, and that includes freedom of belief.


Atheists do not pledge allegiance to any devil symbol because they don't believe in a devil or any other such fiction. You're ignorantly confusing atheists with Satanists.

It's a form of brainwashing. You say it every morning for about 200 days a year, more if you take summer school.

Besides, it's clearly disciminatory against non-Christians.

People don't care much of the pledge. We do it every day. It's not a part of people's lives. You're over thinking it way too much. What's the big deal.

You just pledge allegiance to your country.

It's not discriminatory against non-christians, you don't have to say the pledge, but you have to stand for it.

These are children, they don't realize what's being done to them. When they watch TV, they are easily influenced by whatever they see, but they don't realize it. The same with saying the same pledge everyday.

The big deal is that children are forced to do something they may or may not want to do.

Not all the children are U.S. citizens, so why should they pledge their allegiance to the U.S.?

Why should they even stand? Also, in some backwards places like Texas, if you don't say it, your teacher and fellow students would give you glares.

If you are really loyal to your country, you don't have to reconfirm it every morning

It's like if you know you're good-looking, you don't have to look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself that. Only people who aren't confident do such a thing.

You don't have to do that?

Damn it. Wasted energy on my part

Kulong, you're being too much of a radical. It's a 10 second verse. Kids are forced to much more complicated things that they do not want to do.

The pledge didn't mention anything about citizenship.

The pledge is just tradition. It's not sparking some magnificent revolution, slave labor, oppression, or any atrocity. It's only national tradition that someone says it in the morning everyday.

You over think this way too much.
It's only a pledge of allegiance. You don't have to say it but stand for it. Just stand for a few seconds and get it over with, and put your mind to your school or your work.

The pledge is no big deal in someones life. After I say the pledge in the morning it's not like I constantly praise myself for something that i said that took 10 seconds. I worry about other things like my upcoming finals, my concerts, my tests, my relationships, and other things.

Has Japan ever explored the possibility of changing the anthem?

Right... "it's no big deal"... we should ALWAYS be suspcious of anything that we're being forced to do...

There is no point saying a pledge or singing an anthem when you don't feel like saying it. Unless it is spoken and sung proudly will all your heart does it mean anything. Otherwise it is as hollow as a dead tree trunk.

Japan should come up with an anthem that people WANT to sing proudly without embaressment.

Agreed. You get a fresh banana.

...yeah and watch it be written by ayumi hamasaki or something. I can just see it now...

You still never proved why it's brainwash....

I don't see any propaganda in it.

These children are forced to do something every morning. That's how brainwash work, by repeating something.

Patriotism should be voluntary and sincere, not forced out of people

Being forced to stand for a few seconds is a big deal now?

You need not say the pledge but just stand for it which doesn't show or is being forced to show patriotism. You're only standing just for respect.

You're giving bad reasons.

You should at least be thankful that we're not being forced to do other more tedious and painful things like in some other nations.

This is a difficult issue to address. I can see why the Japanese Government would order such directives, but I don't think in practice they serve much use.

I remember when I was back in First School, and we used to pray at 3 times during the school day. When your young you dn't question it, but the more I think about it the more I wonder... Is coersion beneficial?

I feel sorry for any teachers who's jobs may be lost as a result of this, it seems quite unfair.

No German politician would dare to introduce the standing and singing the national anthem infront of the German flag in schools. The memory of the Nazi time is still fresh for the older generation.

All school children have to visit one of those concentration camps, which have been converted to museums now. Unlike the Japanese government, Germans do face their past errors and crimes.

I still remember that many of my fellow students cried when we watched documentaries of the victims at school.

Those guys at the Diet SHOULD and MUST realize that the actions of the militarist generation is still giving the Land of the Rising Sun a bad rep.

Also, wouldn't it be wise to have things from that particular generation be a reminder NOT TO REPEAT HISTORY ITSELF AGAIN?

If not, I'm getting an impression that rightwingers are fanboying on the militarist generation. :shocked:

That song was used by japan before the 1920s. To me that song is irrelevant. Now the imperial flag as you know it should never be used. Only the normal flag should fly. Either that or come up with another flag.

Digitalinsanity:



I highly doubt japan will ever attempt to establish empires in asia again. It is impossible. The u.s.a could not even do it if they wanted to.