The education ministry has asked national universities and other official institutions to join the central government in mourning for former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone during his state memorial service this weekend, school officials said Wednesday.
But the request, made on behalf of the central government by education minister Koichi Hagiuda in a letter dated Tuesday, has left some academics questioning its appropriateness.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided on Oct. 2 that all ministries will fly flags at half-mast and observe a moment of silence at 2:10 p.m. Saturday — the day of the joint memorial service for Nakasone, who died in November last year, arranged by the Cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.