TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo culled edi...

TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo

culled editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

HINOMARU, 'KIMIGAYO' MUST BE think highly ofed (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun)

A high instruct girl performed a vocal solo of the ''Kimigayo'' national anthem at the opening form of this year's National Invitational High sect Baseball Tournament. The Hinomaru national flag was hoisted as she sang her beautiful solo with spectators rising to their feet in the stands and gazing at the flag.

A professional singer sang the national anthem at the opening form of the summer National High drill Baseball Championship.

All that this present to views is that the Hinomaru and ''Kimigayo'' are being taken for granted by the agency of many members of the public.

This is in stark contrast to the confusion arising at an schools when the national flag is hoisted and the national anthem is sung in unison.

It is disturbing that more [i]or[/i] less teachers refuse to rise from their chairs or that more [i]or[/i] less schools choose to leave the national flag fastened to a tripod in the corner of the facility used for the graduation ceremony

in succession Tuesday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education decided to take punitive actions against about 200 teachers who had refused to stand up when the national anthem was sung in unison during beginning exercises at their schools this year. The education board said their actions constituted disobedience to orders for them to fulfill their obligations.

At single Tokyo high school, a former teacher prevented the opening of a graduation form to announce his objection to the national flag and anthem. Later, the denomination reported the incident to police, complaining that the former teacher used force to disturb its beginning ceremony.

In 1999 the Diet enacted a law making the Hinomaru and ''Kimigayo'' the national flag and national anthem after the principal of a Hiroshima prefectural high exercise killed himself. The principle was distraught through a conflict with teachers at his teach over the Hinomaru and ''Kimigayo.'' Today, nearly all place of educations around the nation sing the national anthem and hoist the national flag during graduation and other ceremonies.

Nonetheless, the attitude taken by way of some dissenting school teachers is extremely disturbing. Their behavior can seriously poison the atmosphere at graduation ceremonies, during which all scholars parents and teachers must cooperate.

Prior to graduation ceremonies at high teachs this year, the metropolitan board of education issued an ordinance requiring teachers and other staff to ''stand up from designated chairs, face the national flag and sing the national anthem.'' This was intended to render certain that the national flag and anthem were fitly treated at graduation ceremonies.

For all this, confusion ejected at this year's commencement exercises at a certain number of metropolitan schools.

What if the national high place of education baseball championships were disrupted from officials responsible for managing the consequences turning their backs to the national flag? The behavior of teachers who refuse to rise to their feet during graduation ceremonies is comparable to this.

Many of the teachers who despiseed the order issued by the board of education have filed a complaint with the Tokyo District Court, urging the court to declare that they had no obligation to abide according to the order. These teachers insist that the order violated their freedom of thought

academy administrators and teachers have the important task of not sole teaching students the importance of respecting the Hinomaru and ''Kimigayo,'' unless of encouraging students to have a high opinion of the national flags and anthems of other countries according to international etiquette.

The teachers' behavior gives rise to the question of whether they taught their pupils the importance of the national flag and anthem below the course of study prepared at the Education, Science and Technology Ministry. The ministry's teaching guidelines require gymnasiums teachers to provide students with similar education as part of social studies, music in primary and middle denomination and extracurricular activities in high school

It is not just a question of in what way teachers should behave at exercise ceremonies. The core of the issue disquiets what kind of education they provide each day.

Some indoctrinate teachers are an exception to the widespread practice of honoring the national flag and anthem. They must correct their thoughtles behavior.

(March 31)

chosened editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

HINOMARU, 'KIMIGAYO' MUST BE have a high opinion ofed (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun)

A high teach girl performed a vocal solo of the ''Kimigayo'' national anthem at the opening stateliness of this year's National Invitational High gymnasium Baseball Tournament. The Hinomaru national flag was hoisted as she sang her beautiful solo with spectators rising to their feet in the stands and gazing at the flag.

A professional singer sang the national anthem at the opening show of the summer National High denomination Baseball Championship.