In lawsuits brought by 171 current and former teachers and other staff members at public schools in Tokyo who were punished for not following orders that principals issued in connection with the Hinomaru national flag and the Kimigayo national anthem at school events, the No. 1 Petit Bench of the Supreme Court ruled Monday that "careful consideration" is needed in meting out a punishment more severe than a reprimand, such as a pay cut or suspension from work.
The ruling will put the brakes on the Tokyo metropolitan board of education's practice of threatening with punishment teachers and other school staffers who do not follow the principals' orders because of their views of history and the world. Some people regard the flag and the anthem as symbolizing Japan's past militarism.
But education authorities' tendency to use coercive measures against teachers and staffers in this kind of matter can be unwholesome and runs counter to the spirit of the Constitution, which guarantees the principle of freedom of thought and conscience.