Film Screening: Refusing to Stand for "Kimigayo"

[Mulboyne]

The Institute for the Study of Social Justice at Sophia University invites you to a film screening:

AGAINST COERCION:Refusing to Stand for "Kimigayo"
(87 minutes/in Japanese with English subtitles)
Directors: Matsubara Akira and Sasaki Yumi (Video Press)


Wednesday, June 27, 2007
17:00-19:30
Room L921, 9th Floor, Central Library
Yotsuya Campus, Sophia University
Free Admission

"Since the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education issued a decree to strictly enforce the hoisting of Hinomaru and the singing of Kimigayo at school ceremonies in 2003, over 340 public school teachers in Tokyo have so far faced disciplinary actions for "negligence of duties." Although the Tokyo Local Court ruled such coercion unconstitutional in September 2006, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education took disciplinary measures against a further 35 teachers in March 2007 and appealed to Tokyo High Court. The punitive measures of the Tokyo Board of Education are cumulative, and as a consequence, it looks quite possible at this point that some teachers will face dismissal in March 2008 --if they continue to refuse to stand for Kimigayo.

Such developments are not limited to Tokyo public schools, and are indeed of particular relevance to those who are in teaching professions at school as well as university levels. The new Law on National Referenda that the Abe government enacted last month contains a stipulation that prohibits teachers (and public servants) to "utilize their positions" during future campaigns on constitutional revisions --in other words, a school teacher or university professor who expresses a view that does not conform with the government proposal may very well face similar disciplinary measures for "negligence of duties."

This documentary film follows the school teachers, and their students, as the teachers refuse to stand for Kimigayo and face pay-cut, suspension, and re-training programs. The doors open at 17:00, and the movie screening is followed by a Q&A session with Ms. Kawarai Junko, who is currently suspended from her position at a school for the disabled in Tokyo.

This event represents the first part of a program entitled "Is Freedom in Danger?" organized by the Institute for the Study of Social Justice, Sophia University. It will be followed by a symposium on October 11, where Prof. Takami Katsutoshi (Sophia Law School) will speak on the subject of constitution and freedom, Father Tani Daiji (Bishop of Saitama, Catholic Church) on freedom of religion, and Koichi Nakano (Sophia University) on the contemporary politics of illiberalism (all in Japanese)."

[American Oyaji]

Is there a plan to record the after discussions and the symposium? I would love to see the movie and be in attendence, but unfortunately, I am like on the other side of the world.

[Takechanpoo]

Aside from private school's teachers, public school's teachers should sing Kimi-ga-yo because they are public servant and get salary from national tax.

[kamome]

Aside from private school's teachers, public school's teachers should sing Kimi-ga-yo because they are public servant and get salary from national tax.

So public employess don't deserve the same basic rights as private employees? I don't think they should be discriminated against just because of their employment status.

[Greji]

So public employess don't deserve the same basic rights as private employees? I don't think they should be discriminated against just because of their employment status.

They stand and sing like it was a karaoke session in most private schools Bird! I think that a lot of this is the last stand, by the few individuals and groups remaining that are opposed to this so-called nationalism. At all college baseball games for example, for the first game of the day, they play the song and everybody stands whether it is a public or private university. Nobody makes them.

Rights are obviously important, but selective objections by these people are bonkers. You don't see them objecting at the Olympics when the anthemn is played and Hinomaru goes up the flag pole. Will it be banned from Beijing as a reminder of the Emperor and the war? Don't count on it and the same people will stand and cheer when a J-participant gets the gold on the podium and the music is played.

Having said that, I now await Burako-chan's award of the Japanophile dog.

[kamome]

They stand and sing like it was a karaoke session in most private schools Bird! I think that a lot of this is the last stand, by the few individuals and groups remaining that are opposed to this so-called nationalism. At all college baseball games for example, for the first game of the day, they play the song and everybody stands whether it is a public or private university. Nobody makes them.

Rights are obviously important, but selective objections by these people are bonkers. You don't see them objecting at the Olympics when the anthemn is played and Hinomaru goes up the flag pole. Will it be banned from Beijing as a reminder of the Emperor and the war? Don't count on it and the same people will stand and cheer when a J-participant gets the gold on the podium and the music is played.

Having said that, I now await Burako-chan's award of the Japanophile dog.

Not sure I follow, booth. It seems ol' Takepoop is advocating that they all should be made to stand. Whether or not all or many of them stand voluntarily isn't the point - for those who don't want to stand, why should their employment status have anything to do with it?

The point you're making is that those who stand at the Olympics but not at school ceremonies are acting inconsistently, and you're probably right there. But I guess if they want to show pride at the Olympics, they have no other song to choose from. If anyone, whether a public or private employee, wants to sit at other events out of protest of the fact that they don't like the song, I say let them do it.

[American Oyaji]

Ya know, I was against compulsary singing and then I thought about how the Pledge of Allegiance was spoken everyday at the beginning of school.

[Charles]

Ya know, I was against compulsary singing and then I thought about how the Pledge of Allegiance was spoken everyday at the beginning of school.

I hope you also know the long history of resistance to saying the Pledge by religious objectors such as the Amish and Jehovah's Witnesses, and how this issue went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled it was unconstitutional to require reciting the Pledge in school.

[Greji]

If anyone, whether a public or private employee, wants to sit at other events out of protest of the fact that they don't like the song, I say let them do it.

If they are private school teachers (and now most public) they will stand or be warned and/or fired. "Let them do it" may sound nice, but that dog don't hunt! There are not that many people in the opposition camp for the song and especially the flag issue anymore. The fight is just to keep it alive and that is only through tying it to such events and symposiums as the one a Jochi.

It is no where near the theme it used to be and what the media would like to play it as.

That's all I'm saying. The courts have held it as good case law as well as the right to discipline employees (teachers) who refuse to comply. So they are going to have to go a long , long way to get it back as a good Demo motto (if they ever could, which I seriously doubt)!

[American Oyaji]

I hope you also know the long history of resistance to saying the Pledge by religious objectors such as the Amish and Jehovah's Witnesses, and how this issue went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled it was unconstitutional to require reciting the Pledge in school.

I realize the history, Charles.

[kamome]

If they are private school teachers (and now most public) they will stand or be warned and/or fired. "Let them do it" may sound nice, but that dog don't hunt! There are not that many people in the opposition camp for the song and especially the flag issue anymore. The fight is just to keep it alive and that is only through tying it to such events and symposiums as the one a Jochi.

It is no where near the theme it used to be and what the media would like to play it as.

That's all I'm saying. The courts have held it as good case law as well as the right to discipline employees (teachers) who refuse to comply. So they are going to have to go a long , long way to get it back as a good Demo motto (if they ever could, which I seriously doubt)!

Just because a minority opposes it, I don't think it's ok to fire them for their beliefs. If there is such a court case making this practice lawful, it's shameful.

[Greji]

Just because a minority opposes it, I don't think it's ok to fire them for their beliefs. If there is such a court case making this practice lawful, it's shameful.

I don't remember the actual case law on this Bird, but in essence, several teachers of an institution were informed that their institution would follow the new law and they would be required to comply.

They served notice they did not believe this was right and refused to do so and the school put them on notice not to do this. Next came the event, they did not stand, they received pink slips and took it to court. The judge ruled that they were guilty of dumb in public with priors, and found that since they had been warned before hand, they were required to not let the door hit them in the ass when they left the school and that the school had this authority and was correct in their actions. I believe that this was a public school, but I stand to be corrected on that.

As you know Japan is fairly permissive of dissent, witness all the daily demo's around Kasumigaseki; however, they have a way of going about it. For example, the demonstrators apply by petition for a demo from xtime to ytime on a certain day. On that day, the police will warn demostrators when the time for their demo permission/petition has expired. If it is a large and length demo, they will continue to warn them at timely intervals up to about a half hour after the expiration time. They will then make one clearly identifiable announcement the demo is over to cease and desist. After that they move in. Normally, most demonstrators boogie out on the last warning, it is old school and everyone knows what's coming. When the police move in, if there's anybody left, they arrest them for being dumb in public and go about their business. They were warned.

As you know, the courts here have no room for Johnnie Cochran to manuever, if you have advance warning and do it anyway, or remain in the firing line, sorry about that. A lot of times, it's not about the issue in the original dispute, it's about you violating the warnings that were given.