We explore the origins and history of ‘Kimigayo’, one of the world’s oldest and shortest national anthems. Japan has one of the oldest national anthems in the world. ‘Kimigayo’ is the country’s single ...

With school graduation season past and the start of a new school year already in full swing, any teachers in Japan reading will probably be familiar with the Japanese national anthem, “Kimigayo.” Even ...

The Ishigaki city assembly in Okinawa Prefecture recently passed a resolution to ascertain whether children of elementary and junior high school age were taught the “Kimigayo” national anthem in class ...

TOKYO -- The Supreme Court has dismissed a damages suit filed by 22 former teachers who argued that the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education acted illegally by refusing to rehire them for not ...

The law on the national flag and anthem, enacted in 1999, consists of only two clauses. The law established the “Nisshoki” (flag of rising sun) as the national flag of Japan and “Kimigayo” as the ...

To some they are symbols of national pride, to others icons of a militaristic past. “Kimigayo,” the national anthem, and the Hinomaru, the national flag, have been perpetual sources of controversy ...

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by a teacher seeking the annulment of a board of education reprimand issued over her refusal to play “Kimigayo” on the piano during a school ...

Keiko Hirata [Assistant Professor, California State University Northridge]: "In March 2009, the Tokyo District Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Japanese teachers who had been penalized for refusing ...

JAPAN got their World Cup campaign off to a flying start as they close in on a last-16 qualification spot. A win TODAY against Costa Rica could all but secure their place in the knock-out rounds.

With school graduation season past and the start of a new school year already in full swing, any teachers in Japan reading will probably be familiar with the Japanese national anthem, “Kimigayo.” Even ...