John Spiri’s Feb. 19 Zeit Gist article, “Sitting out but standing tall,” offers an excellent overview of the repression the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education employs against expressions of conscience with regard to the national anthem Kimigayo and the national flag Hinomaru. It is ironic that a country that thinks of itself as a modern democracy shares the dubious distinction with North Korea and China of requiring those who won’t toe the line to endure re-education sessions.
Perhaps the best indication of the insidiousness of such coercion is in the comment of Naimisha Mehta, in the accompanying “Views from the street” article. Mehta, an American, is quoted as saying that what teachers do influences the minds of students and that they should therefore forget about their personal views and comply (stand up during the national anthem).
Maybe that’s why millions of Americans allowed their president to wage war on hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq and even waste the lives of their own children: They were probably never exposed to any dissenting views that would help them think critically.
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