Mainichi reports that teachers who do not stand up and face the Japanese flag during the playing of the national anthem at school ceremonies can no longer be punished:

Teachers are not obliged to stand up before the Hinomaru flag or sing the national anthem during entrance and graduation ceremonies, the Tokyo District Court ruled on Thursday.

About 400 teachers and workers at Tokyo metropolitan high schools had filed a lawsuit in a bid to confirm they were not obliged to sing the anthem or rise to their feet for the national flag during ceremonies.

The Tokyo District Court ruled in their favor, saying that forcing teachers and staff members of schools to do so was unconstitutional. The court ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education to pay 30,000 yen in damages to each plaintiff.

In a directive distributed to the heads of metropolitan high schools in October 2003, the Tokyo board of education said teachers and school staff members had to stand up in the direction of the national flag, and sing the anthem during entrance and graduation ceremonies.

Those who don’t do so could be punished, the directive said. Teachers who were punished under the directive are among the plaintiffs of the lawsuit.

A positive step, in my opinion. It’s one thing to require music/social studies teachers to actually teach children their country’s national anthem, but teachers shouldn’t be penalized for simply not standing and singing the anthem at school ceremonies.