Kanagawa Prefecture Education Board goes Blinky

A few years ago, the rightist bigot and Tokyo governor Shintaro "Blinky" Ishihara got Tokyo prefecture to attempt to force all school teachers to stand during the playing of the national anthem. Many object to this as they remember the role of teachers in WW2 in helping the state instill jingoism and obedience to the emperor in students. Blinky and the Tokyo government have lost court decisions challenging the legality of this order, but they are appealing it.

Kanagawa prefecture, the home of a politician who became a little controversial among the foreign residents (like Ishihara, his remarks/beliefs didn't cause much of a reaction among the native-born citizens) who said that ALL non-Japanese in the prefecture were criminals and who refused to apologize or retract his statement, has an Education Board that wants to step up to the plate and punish citizens who disagree with its stance:

The Kanagawa prefectural education board decided Monday to continue collecting the names of teachers who refuse to stand when the "Kimigayo" national anthem is sung in school ceremonies, board officials said.

The board's decision defies a recommendation by a prefectural panel on protection of personal information that it stop the practice.

"It's undesirable there are such school staff members who don't stand (to sing the anthem), as enrollment and graduation ceremonies are important events," said Takaichi Hikichi, head of the education board. More here.

Blinky, "Beautiful Country" Abe, "Comic Book" Aso, and I assume "Barcode-head" Fujiwara must all be panting, giggling, and blinking rapidly with delirious glee.

Abe says he'll stay on

as PM. According to NHK TV, Abe believes his loss was due to scandals by his cabinet and the pension disaster and had nothing to due with his education/constitution reforms. Therefor, he won't resign as his policies weren't rejected by the public. I suspect that he is right, people are most concerned about the first two and other money issues.

A vote of no confidence in Abe

Seems his (and Fujiwara's) vision of an increasing nationalist--sorry patriotic Japan is no especially shared by the whole government. The main opposition parties have filed a no confidence vote against the cabinet of Abe-sama. The idea of forcing "patriotism" in schools is repulsive to some. Japan went done that road prior to its initiation its aggression in China and ultimately WW2.

Japan's opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion in the lower house of parliament against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet in an effort to block a bill calling for promoting patriotism in the nation's schools. The four groups, including the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, filed a motion protesting the rigging of town meetings held during the previous administration.
Bloomberg News.

I predict that the opposition will ultimately fail. It will be so nice if I am wrong, but I doubt I will be. I can't imagine the public at large getting much involved.

Abe, Saving Japan and the world with good old Japanese Bushido.

7:01PM update: The LDP, and the Diet has passed the new education law requiring more "patriotism" in education. It is the first revision in the education law since 1947. According to NHK evening news, the laws requires school principles to rate/grade children on patriotism (CORRECTION 17 Dec: It will not require grading, although many parents and teachers fear it ultimately will.) . One school principle said it would be difficult to determine a child's--especially grade school children's level of patriotism. BANAZAI!!!BANZAI!!! Perhaps, that is a bit harsh. We will see.

In addition, the Self Defense Forces (the military which is not a military because it would be unconstitutional if it were) will now officially achieve the status of a ministry. Its head will be referred to as the Defense Minister. Remember, this is different than say the US in which the Department of Defense includes the military. Again: Japan has no military, just guys with battleships, heavy weapons, small arms, combat aircraft, tanks etc. It's only for self-defense and hiding behind Dutch forces in Iraq and more or less being restricted to base except when digging holes in the sand for wells.

Shocking News

To me anyway. A few years ago, the Tokyo government decided that children would have to sing Kimigayo, the Japanese anthem. Teachers were also required to stand, face the flag, and sing. Many were disciplined when they refused to do so. The song itself has links to the war, so a lot of teachers strongly opposed it. (Japanese teachers were used to indoctrinate children before WWII, and many of today's teachers are very aware of the dangers of anything that smacks of militarism.)

The Tokyo government was sued by a group of teachers---and amazingly, they won. Teachers now have "no obligation" to stand, sing, and face the flag. The story is here.

I'll bet Tokyo's part-time governor, Shintaro "Blinky" Ishihara, is furious. Probably blinking at warp speed and blaming it on the U.S., China, Korea, and foreigners in general. I hope he doesn't soil his panties over it.

This is a rare pause in the march to increasing nationalism we've seen recently. I doubt it will last. (Tokyo can appeal the decision.)

30 September 2006 update: The Tokyo government has filed an appeal to force teachers to stand and sing this thing. I knew ol' Blinky would defecate in his drawers when he heard that.

The Return of the Imperial Rescript

We all know that Japan has completely changed since WW2. Why that era just a slight diversion from the path to democracy. WW2 was really just something foreign powers either tricked Japan into entering, or forced them to as they had no other options.

Before Hirohito died, we were told that the modern Japanese no longer thought much about him. He was just a funny old man. None other than Edwin Reishauer himself pushed this laugher. Then Hirohito died and the response of many in Japan made us wonder if Japan really had just completely changed overnight when the war ended.

But now, despite the opposition of the rightwing loonytunes like Fuijiwara Masahiko, Japan is said to have a democracy (debatable). One has to wonder for how much longer as we keep hearing of a desire to return to the past. In Fujiwara's top selling book, he renounces democracy (and even claims that the Japan that started the Pacific War was a democracy) and suggests Japan be ruled by an elite unelected group. He suggests that Japan should return to bushido---in fact, he wants to export it. This all worked so well in the past.

The Imperial Rescript on Education has was used by such elites from the late 1800s to indoctrinate young Japanese children with the idea that the emperor was the head of the state in Japan and they owed him allegiance. It was one of the strongest symbols of nationalism in that era.

The 1890 decree, issued on behalf of Emperor Meiji, was criticized on the grounds that it was "based on the belief that sovereign power resides with the emperor, upholding a mythological view of the fundamental character of the nation." The Diet ruled that it "clearly infringed on basic human rights." (From Asahi.com---link below)

It is coming back in some areas, and is fully supported by many parents---the average Japanese mom and dad. Children are again being forced to recite it---elementary school children!

So what does this mean? Is Japan becoming a militarist Japan again? No, but Japan does not hold the same values, world views, and visions as the US or other western countries. The beliefs, traditions, and tendencies that existed in Japan prior to World War II did not suddenly disappear. They still exist at some level in Japan. US citizens should in particular be aware of this. Japan is not becoming more like us. Japan is an American ally only as long as the US remains strong and as long as it is to Japan's benefit. No shock there.

The story, from Asahi Shimbum is here: Potent Words.