Whether or not Japanese teachers should sing the national anthem - "Kimigayo" or "His Imperial Majesty's Reign" - during the entrance ceremonies and commencements of Japanese middle and primary schools has often been the subject of controversy.

According to an Asahi Shimbun report in May, 22 teachers at a public school in Tokyo refused to stand and sing the national anthem at school ceremonies. Due to this, they were not rehired by the school and authorities in charge of local education. However, a recent verdict by the Tokyo District Court ruled that this decision was illegal, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government must now pay a total of 537 million yen ($4.4 million) in compensation to these teachers.

This is not the first time that Japanese teachers have lost their jobs after refusing to sing the national anthem. The most notorious case led to the suicide of Toshihiro Ishikawa, a headmaster of a high school in Sera, Hiroshima. He faced a dilemma as the local education authorities ordered all teachers to stand and sing the national anthem, but the school's teachers had clearly stated their refusal to do so. He must have been at his wit's end and decided to kill himself before the school term commencement ceremony in 1999.

The crux of these controversies lies in the lyrics and implications of the Japanese national anthem. The song was written in the Meiji era, and the lyrics laud the reign of the emperor of Japan and express hope that it will last forever. However, during Japan's period of aggression, the song was regarded as a symbol of militarism. The anthem does not only echo the agony of many Asian people whose countries were invaded by Japan, but also awakens the painful memories of older generations of Japanese. Therefore, many voices in Japanese society call for the national anthem to be changed.

Aside from the militaristic gist of the song, the spirit of Japan's pacifist constitution is also an important reason why school teachers have refused to stand and sing the song.

In fact, in the early post-WWII period, the anthem was forbidden due to its militaristic implications. However, in 1999, the Japanese parliament passed a bill to make middle and primary school students sing the anthem on several occasions including entrance ceremonies and commencements, which confirmed the song's status as the national anthem. But this law actually contradicts Japan's constitution because the constitution doesn't specify a national anthem, and the lyrics are not in line with the spirit of the document.

Now the government has tried to insert the national anthem into public colleges and universities. On June 17, Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura demanded students at 86 public colleges and universities sing the song at entrance ceremonies and commencements. The song's expansion to universities shows the Abe administration's intention to intervene in academic freedom and the autonomy of Japanese universities, an infringement on the spirit and authority of the pacifist constitution.

From revising the constitution to amending historical textbooks and forcing all Japanese students to sing the anthem, the right-wing Abe administration is trying to stir up Japan's nationalism and jeopardize the social order protected by the pacifist constitution.

Patriotic education for adolescents is needed and guided by governments in almost every country, but patriotism will inevitably stumble and collapse if it is based on efforts to glorify a war of aggression.

The author is a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Sociology at Toyo University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn