The knowledge of National flag and National anthem by the students at atraining course for Kindergarten teachers

Abstract

I gave an informal examination to 74 students about their knowledge of both Japanese national flag and national anthem. All 74 students belong to the training course for kindergarten teachers. Only 22 students (30%) gave a positive answer. They have learned Japanese national anthem at their elementary and high schools : however, the remainder (52 persons, 70%) reported that they have never learned it at school. A course of study of Japanese schools has requested them to teach Japanese national anthem at school. Moreover, according to the report by the Department of Education and Science Culture of the Japanese government, about 80% elementary schools and 70% high schools raised the Japanese national flag at the graduation service. Only 16 (22%) persons were able to write the text of Japanese national anthem completely. An ancient (in 905) 31-syllable Japanese ode is said to be the origin of the text of the national anthem. The meaning of Japanese national anthem is : "I wish you could live to a long age as if small stones were conglomerated to be big rocks with mosses during geologically long times."The text itself of the national anthem is not so difficult to understand. Obviously, students have not learned the text of the national anthem previously at school. Some school teachers influenced by some political groups would not teach the national anthem and would not pay due respect to the national flag even though it is against the course of study of Japanese schools. The Japanese sun flag is a symbol of the nation, Nihon or Japan. "Ni" means the sun and "Hon" means the origin. The name of Nihon, therefore, means the origin of the rising sun, because Japan locates in Far East, where the sun rises earliest in the world. We could not find any expansionism in the original meaning of Japanese National anthem, the name of nation, Japan, and the national sun flag. However, some political groups including communists desire to make a new flag and a new national anthem. The reason why they want to change the national flag and the national anthem, is : Japan used National sun flag in World War II and the meaning of "Kimi" in the national anthem suggests emperor. According to our Constitution Article 1,the emperor shall be the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power. Obviously, the meaning of both the Japanese flag and national anthem is not against our constitution. To avoid the unnecessary dispute, the Japanese House of Representatives enacted a law, the national sun flag and the national anthem, on the 22nd of July in 1999.