Emperor Akihito

More than 200 teachers in Tokyo have been punished by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for refusing to stand and sing the anthem at graduation and enrollment ceremonies this year.

During a conversation with the Emperor at an Imperial garden party, Kunio Yonenaga, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, said, "It is my job to get all schools in Japan to hoist the national flag and sing the national anthem," sources said.

But the Emperor responded, "It is desirable that (teachers and students) not be forced" to do so, they said.

It is rare for an emperor to comment on the flag and anthem, which are considered controversial due to their links to Japan's militarist past.

On Oct. 29, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said that the Emperor was merely talking "common sense" and was not making the kind of political comment that the Constitution prohibits.

Hosoda added that the Emperor's remarks were "consistent with the views of the government" on the matter.

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 6, 2004
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