"Check Memorization of Kimigayo" Japanese Education Board Directive Sparks Teacher Backlash

Survey on Number of Elementary and Middle School Students Memorizing Kimigayo
"Excessive Directive" Teachers' Union Protests to Education Committee

Japanese education authorities instructed schools to investigate the number of students memorizing the Japanese national anthem "Kimigayo," prompting backlash from teachers.

The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 14th, the Mainichi Shimbun reported that the Suita City Board of Education in Osaka Prefecture (hereafter, the Board) ordered all 54 municipal elementary and junior high schools in the area last March to survey whether students had memorized Kimigayo.

Additionally, the Board required schools to submit photos via email showing the location where the national flag and school flag were raised on graduation day, as well as photos showing the entire graduation ceremony venue. This measure is understood to be aimed at confirming whether students could recite the anthem during the March graduation and April entrance ceremonies and whether the Hinomaru flag was properly displayed.

The survey form given to teachers included columns to record the total number of students enrolled in each grade and the number of students who had memorized the lyrics, but it did not specify how to verify memorization. As a result, some schools had homeroom teachers count students raising their hands to indicate memorization, while music teachers at other schools listened directly and estimated the number of students who had memorized the anthem.

When Staff Protested... Board of Education Says "Inquiry Came from LDP City Council Member"

Rising Sun Flag [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Board acknowledged the survey to the Mainichi Shimbun and explained that it was conducted following an inquiry about the Kimigayo memorization status from a Liberal Democratic Party city council member. The Board further stated that it analyzed the memorization rates by grade for elementary and junior high schools and only reported these aggregated results, without disclosing individual school rates.

The teachers' union submitted a protest letter to the Board, stating, "Quantifying each school's situation seems intended to pressure guidance," and "It is excessive as it could lead to forcing the national anthem." A union representative reportedly criticized the survey as "effectively an ideological investigation," saying, "It appears to be an attempt to check the guidance status of the responsible teachers by investigating the children's actual situation." The lyrics of Kimigayo include the phrase "May your reign continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations, until the tiny pebbles grow into massive rocks covered with moss." This phrase has been criticized for symbolizing Japanese militarism that wishes for the emperor's reign to be eternal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.