Japan Press Weekly

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2011 December 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

Osaka mayor and governor sing ‘Kimigayo’ on TV

Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru and Osaka Prefectural Governor Matsui Ichiro on December 7 sang “Kimigayo (may the Emperor’s reign be forever)” at a showcase boxing match. The scene was televised live nationwide.

It is extremely unusual for municipal heads to volunteer to sing the controversial national anthem “Kimigayo”. They were obviously aiming to instill a nationalistic sentiment in Osaka citizens by making a political use of the sports event. TBS, a TV company, had a part in smoothing the way for spread of Hashimoto’s peculiar political style, which is often described as a dictatorship.

The match in question took place between a Thai boxer and a famous Japanese boxer at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.

The “Osaka Ishin-no Kai”, a local political party led by Hashimoto, in June railroaded an ordinance through the prefectural assembly to force public school teachers to stand up and sing “Kimigayo” at school ceremonies. Another ordinance was submitted in September so that the governor can dismiss teachers who do not stand up when singing “Kimigayo”.

Before the match, Hashimoto reportedly said, “I want teachers who do not want to stand up to sing to watch me singing.”

After the match, Hashimoto said that he sang with the microphone as low in volume as possible in order to encourage the audience to join in the singing.

Along with the “Hinomaru (rising sun)” flag, “Kimigayo” was a symbol of Japan’s war of aggression. Part of the lyric glorifies the Emperor as the ruler and is criticized as contradicting the constitutional principle of popular sovereignty.

The Diet also repeatedly confirmed that no one should be forced by law to stand up and sing “Kimigayo” when the national flag and anthem law was enacted in 1999.

The civil movement is increasing in Osaka against the oppression of public teachers. The interpretation of “Kimigayo” has long split public opinion. The Broadcasting Act requires broadcasters to present as many perspectives as possible regarding the issue which has generated a broad range of conflicting opinions. Given that requirement, the TV network is called into question for having readily broadcast without criticism the two municipal heads singing “Kimigayo”.