Show Ill r tt I f r o I 1 f N a Z C Z war YS Y III o 52 o C t u 1 A o oJ J Tokyo teacher Kimiko who refuses to stand for the Japanese national anthem has been punished by frequent transfers from one school to another and with temporary salary cuts Tokyo teacher punished for pacifist stance Anthony Faiola The Washington Post When the national anthem started playing playing playing play play- ing during a ceremony this year at Daini Junior High School Kimiko a spoken soft-spoken but resolute home economics teacher refused to stand and kept her mouth shut while others sang around her a self self described described pacifist said she has done the same thing ever since the parliament parliament parliament par par- designated the World War II hymn as the national anthem in 1999 She said she opposes the song because it was the same one sung as the Imperial Army set forth from Japan calling for an eternal reign of the emperor Previously her protest brought nothing more than harsh stares from some students and parents But the Tokyo school board issued an order in October 2003 that the anthem must be respected Since then 54 has been punished by frequent transfers from one school to another and with temporary salary cuts And in May shortly after the incident at she was suspended for a month Officials warned that another offense could lead to her dismissal after 34 years of teaching Punished Conton Page 4 Punished Cont from front The school board reaction was part of an effort by Tokyo and other school districts districts districts dis dis- dis- dis to enforce a new sense of pride in being Japanese The measures were strongly backed by Shintaro Ishihara the governor of Tokyo and an outspoken nationalist as a way to strengthen classroom classroom classroom class class- room patriotism The school boards board's mandatory rule has had a visible effect At graduation ceremonies in 2004 teachers refused to stand After a series of fines and disciplinary actions and nine other teachers were the only protesters this year They are trying to weed us out of society said The pacifists the people who oppose nationalism in Japan We are gradually being silenced The school board action is at the center center center cen cen- cen- cen ter of criticism throughout East Asia about rising Japanese nationalism But it is also part of an ideological battle over the role of patriotism in Japan where people are especially concerned about how the young will view their country It is time our children learned to be proud of Japan said Hitomi 48 a council member in Tokyo's City district whose son has just graduated ed from the junior high school has called for an investigation of teaching practices There is nothing wrong with paying respect to our flag and our anthem or in taking pride in our nation and heritage said Most of the world enjoys that right Why shouldn't we Displays of overt patriotism were controversial in Japan in the decades after World War II But public discourse has been changing When the parliament parliament parliament parlia parlia- ment adopted the Kimiga o hymn it also declared the traditional Japanese sun flag a red disk in a field of white as the official flag Until then the country did not have a legally recognized national flag or anthem As Japan has observed the anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific this month nationalist political leaders have gained prominence prominence prominence nence advocating a stronger role for Japan in the world In the aftermath of Japans Japan's economic recession in the there is a growing popular notion that the country deserves clout commensurate commensurate commensurate com com- with its position as the worlds world's second-largest second economy Citing the threat of international terrorism terrorism terrorism ter ter- ter- ter and concerns that North Korea may have nuclear weapons members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party say part of updating the country's international international international inter inter- national profile involves military pre pre- They advocate a change in Japans Japan's constitution which was drafted by the United States after World War II and removed Japans Japan's right to maintain a military or wage war The change would allow the country to define its Self- Self Defense Forces as Japans Japan's armed forces But Japans Japan's dwindling pacifists worry not only about the surge in nationalism but also a trend toward revisionist history history histo histo- ry that glorifies militarism On Aug 15 the anniversary of Japans Japan's surrender in World War II a record worshipers turned out at Tokyo's Shrine Shrine a a nationalist symbol that honors Japans Japan's fallen warriors warriors warriors war war- including convicted World War II criminals That same weekend the here released a poll newspaper 43 that tha only sho showing in of 1058 Japanese during dur- dur nations nation's s actions the nation thought actions gr percent wrong World War II were clearly ing while the rest said the war had been unsure The comparable com com- unavoidable or were was even lower among parable response percent of 20 to Japanese 36 younger participating in the poll year olds II 11 in World War considered Japans Japan's role i as clearly wrong based in saId are Such views experts Japanese on education as younger part lower gradually have been exposed to Soles doses of war war guilt Unlike Germany which still strongly confronts f the Holocaust in history classes Japan Japans Japan's is most frequently used history book for junior high schools emphasizes ancient history spending 15 of pages on wartime aggression and only one paragraph paragraph paragraph para para- graph on the Tokyo trials that condemned condemned condemned con con- the nations nation's war criminals Updated textbooks approved by the Education Ministry this year sparked outrage in China and South Korea for glossing over Japanese war crimes The books dedicate 24 pages to the war pen peri period period peri- peri od but whitewash the Japanese role and call for a reconsideration of the Tokyo trials Sharp criticism from abroad has seemed to have had no effect Before Japanese anti-Japanese street riots erupted in Beijing Shanghai and Seoul in in April only 14 Japanese schools had adopted the revisionist books Since then at least 30 more have approved their use for the coming school year I feel as if freedom to question aut authority is being quashed just as it was during the war years she said in a quiet studied voice But I will never stand for that song the same one that played when we were invading Asia Never |