The Second Petit Bench of the Supreme Court on May 30 ruled in a 4-0 decision that a school principal's order telling teachers to stand and sing the "Kimigayo" national anthem in front of the "Hinomaru" national flag at a graduation ceremony is constitutional.
This represents the top court's first judgment on the constitutionality of such an order. In February 2007, the court had ruled that a principal's order telling a music teacher to play piano accompaniment for the singing of Kimigayo, usually translated as "Your Reign," at a school ceremony was constitutional.
The lawsuit had been filed by a former teacher of a high school run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government who received a disadvantageous treatment as a result of his refusal to obey the principal's order. The ruling in part says that the order "indirectly constrains" the freedom of thought and conscience.