School teachers obliged to sing national anthem or face punishment

[Maciamo]

Japan Times : Teachers will be punished for not singing anthem

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education said Tuesday it will punish teachers at public high schools in the capital who refused to stand up and sing the "Kimigayo" national anthem at graduation ceremonies this month.

Nearly 200 teachers at metropolitan government-run high schools refused to sing the anthem at ceremonies in March, a group of such teachers and their supporters said. The number of teachers to be penalized and the specifics of the punishment have not been released.
...

What a tyranny ! What good does it do to sing an anthem, and what purpose does it serve to force people who don't want to ? Nationalism apart, what about people who don't like singing ?

[thomas]

In today's JT there was another interesting article related to Japanese school curricula:

Kids to learn about North Korea abductions, Sept. 11 attacks

The abduction of Japanese nationals to North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the US have been included for the first time in the elementary school textbooks. The books will be used in the 2005 academic year.



Just wondered.... how about focusing a bit more on Japan's past....?

[Mandylion]

At my schools, not big city Tokyo but still, the teachers do stand. But the only ones who sing are the old farts from city hall. The kid only stand if they want to.