Japan orders schools to teach anthem

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan on Friday ordered schools to teach children to sing the national anthem in the latest controversial step to boost patriotism, a taboo since World War II.

The education ministry issued new education guidelines for children aged six to 15 to take effect in 2010 at the earliest.

At the moment schools teach the anthem as part of regular coursework but the new ruling emphasises instruction "so that children can sing it," a ministry statement said.

Japan has been gradually embracing national symbols which were shunned by most except for nationalist activists in the decades since defeat in World War II.

Liberal teachers have led a campaign against the national anthem in Tokyo and other school districts that have required it to be played at school ceremonies.

The anthem, "Kimigayo" ("Thy Reign"), praises the emperor. Critics say it harks back to Japan's militarism under the late Emperor Hirohito, who was considered divine during World War II.

The Education Ministry also added a guideline saying that "love for our country and hometown, which has nurtured tradition and culture," should be an objective of existing ethics classes.

Additionally, it asked that Japanese-language classes teach children the country's myths, which say that the imperial family descended from the goddess Amaterasu. The story will be presented as myth.

The revision was done in line with a bill passed by parliament in December 2006 that ordered that patriotism be part of national education.

The parliamentary bill was a signature issue for then-prime minister Shinzo Abe, an outspoken conservative who championed breaking post-World War II taboos.

Abe quit in September after an election defeat and weak approval ratings.

The Tokyo Shimbun in an editorial Friday said that the imminent revisions did not reflect the public will.

"We cannot help but suspect that the revision was made in line with the opinion of ruling party members of parliament, not of the public," it said.

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