Resistance never dies! Despite unlawful punishment for “Refusal for standing up during Kimigayo playing”

TANAKA Satoshi, a teacher at Akiruno Gakuen school for the disabled, refused to stand up while Kimigayo, Japan’s controversial national anthem, was being played at its entrance ceremony in April 2011 for his belief. The Tokyo Metropolitan Education Board forcibly reprimanded Mr. Tanaka, 41, on May 26 at its regular meeting. About 20 people demanded the board not to punish him in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (photo). NEZU Kimiko, who was teaching at the same school before retirement and also refused to stand up during Kimigayo playing, said, “Simply asking children to follow a command without teaching the meaning of the anthem is to rob their thinking skills. One of the reasons of the recent nuclear disaster in Fukushima is that everyone ‘does not think or doubt’ at all, and has been deceived by the ‘myth of nuclear safety’”. People who participated in the session of the education board demanded the board members, “Stop punishing” and “Shame on you”. Mr. Tanaka’s refusal to stand up during Kimigayo playing was beyond expectation for the education board and showed that resistance never dies. (M)


抵抗の灯は消えない！～「君が代不起立」田中聡史さんに不当処分
4月の入学式で根津公子さんと同じ職場の「あきる野学園」教諭の田中聡史さん（41歳）は、自らの信条に従い「君が代不起立」をしたが、5月26日、東京都教育委員会は定例会で田中さんの処分（戒告）を強行した。この日は朝から支援の仲間約20人が都庁前でチラシを撒き、処分をしないように訴えた（写真）。根津さんはマイクを握り「歌の意味も教えないでただ従えということは、子どもから考える力を奪うこと。今回の原発事故も“考えない・疑問をもたない”大人ばかりになったことが遠因で、多くの人が“原発安全神話”に乗せられた。君が代問題と原発問題はつながっている」と訴えた。都教委を傍聴した人たちは職員が制止する中、大きな声で「処分をやめろ」「都教委は恥を知れ」と教育委員にぶつけるように叫んだ。田中さんの不起立は都教委としては予想外の出来事で、抵抗の灯が消えていないことを強く示すことになった。（M）