The government will start working to legally recognize "Kimigayo" as the national anthem and the Hinomaru as Japan's flag, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Tuesday.
"The time has come to fundamentally consider whether it is good to legalize the Hinomaru (Rising Sun) as the national flag and 'Kimigayo' ('His Majesty's Reign') as the national anthem, based on the fact that they have long since been accepted as such" in society, the top government spokesman told a regular news conference.
Nonaka said Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi instructed him to launch the legal move, and he in turn assigned Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Teijiro Furukawa as head of a task force to pursue this end.