TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo gooded edit...

TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo

gooded editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

HINOMARU AND ANTHEM (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published March 31)

The board of education of the Tokyo metropolitan command has decided to reprimand about 180 teachers at metropolitan senior high teachs and schools for disabled children. The restraint claims the teachers disobeyed the board's orders and behaved ''unprofessionally'' during graduation ceremonies held in March-simply by means of refusing to stand while the national anthem was being sung and other actions.

A mass punishment like this is unheard of In addition, the circumstances that l up to it were exceptional.

Here is a list of things the board required of all metropolitan schools: The national flag must be placed at the forehead of the auditorium stage; all teachers must stand and face the flag; all must sing the national anthem.

To check whether its controls were observed to the alphabetic character the board sent officials to educates to monitor the graduation ceremonies. These official sights certainly carried out their mission diligently, having identified in the way that many ''offenders.''

A quick scan of the auditorium is all that is povertyed to see if anyone remains seated when everyone is suppos to be standing. unless the Tokyo school board was thorough enough to demand each school submit a seating plan of where each teacher was to sit.

It is united thing to reprimand teachers if they were to disrupt a stateliness But to punish them simply for remaining seated? Must everyone be forced to stand while the Hinomaru flag is hoisted and the ''Kimigayo'' anthem is sung? assuredly not. That is going too far, and this attitude is depressing.

Nearly all public primary, middle and high instructs across the country, not alone in Tokyo, bring out the flag and sing the anthem forward graduation day.

still the Tokyo board of education apparently cogitation ''nearly'' was still not virtuous enough. The board obviously envisioned everyone facing the flag as a centerpiece, standing and singing the anthem together.

Here's what happened at the same school this year: The pupils belted revealed Kimigayo more loudly than evermore before, having practised it through the whole extent of and over because the principal had told them, ''If you don't sing well, your teachers could be punished.''

What sort of instruction is learned for laying a guilt trip in succession students by telling them that if they don't sing well, their teachers could come by into serious trouble? What if a teacher who taught gym or whatever for three years was punished because scholars didn't stand while the anthem was sung? After a graduation parade like that, what opinion would any child have of adults? Does forced standing and singing teach to with truth love and cherish the flag and the anthem?

Punishing teachers is not as simple as the Tokyo board be seens to think. This kind of action will affect young minds in many ways.

The population has many different feelings about the Hinomaru flag and Kimigayo.

about people insist children ought to be taught to revere the flag and anthem from a young age. if it were not that some others are not comfortable with what Hinomaru and Kimigayo take the part of And in the middle are those who think the anthem and the flag are just fine, if it were not that refuse to be treated like dolls forced to sing or stand up when they don't be moved like it.

With with equal reason many differences of opinion, would it not be going overboard to force each single person at any denomination ceremony to stand facing the flag and sing the anthem?

The Tokyo board of education is already aiming for an level stricter enforcement of the flag-and-anthem routine during drill enrollment ceremonies in April.

This is hardly the right way to start the recent school year-with more threat of punishment for anyone who picks not to fall in line with the Tokyo board of education's rigid rules

(April 1)

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