 1,900 people assemble in opposition to forcing 'Kimigayo' and 'Hinomaru' on teachers and students About 1,900 people attended a rally on January 10 in Tokyo in opposition to the high-handed education administration of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government led by Governor Ishihara Shintaro. It was sponsored by the "Network for Letting Freedom Breathe in School" in cooperation with various organizations of teachers, women, and labor. In a "relay-talk show", a female high school graduate said, "My teacher was punished for refusing to sing the national anthem, 'Kimigayo', at the graduation ceremony. This incident gave me a chance to think about the freedom of conscience. Coercive measures against teachers are tantamount to forcing students to succumb to the unreasonable orders of the board of education." A short drama was performed criticizing the reactionary social studies textbooks which gloss over Japan's war of aggression, followed by a "reading skit" denouncing the metropolitan board of education order to sing 'Kimigayo' and hoist the 'Hinomaru' flag at school ceremonies. Aoki Etsu, an education journalist, spoke on the theme "Don't drive children into a corner." Takahashi Tetsuya, philosopher and professor at Tokyo University, in his speech said, "Our values such as peace, equality, and freedom, which the people have gained since the end of World War II, are being attacked. Let us join our hands to defend the freedom for us and our children." After the rally, a 30-year old man said, "I learned about the actual terrible plight of education in Tokyo and now realize the need to make greater efforts to defend freedom." (end) |