"Their act of not standing up caused distrust toward school education among parents and other people, and the punishment of pay cuts was lawful," Presiding Judge Shoichi Maruyama said in handing down the ruling.

[...]

Regarding the disciplinary action against the teachers, Maruyama said, "They disrupted the atmosphere of a ceremonial event, violating the Local Public Service Law. Disciplinary action is appropriate."

In April 2005, the Fukuoka District Court had ruled that singing the national anthem as a school event did not violate the neutrality of education nor violate freedom of thought as stipulated by the Constitution.

• It seems that the teachers belonged to a far-left group that, in essence, opposed everything the government said or did. 

• The Ministry of Education has rules to prevent rogue teachers from teaching kids any kind of personal belief.  This is a good thing, IMO.

Quote by Zumi:

i can see that point, you know. if a teacher is heavily religious and try to brain wash and make a cult with all the kids in class, that would be really dangerous.

Quote by NFG:

in this particular case, I can see that it would be better to let the teacher do what they believe, but...  If you say that's OK, what happens to the next insane teacher when he tries to do something we don't agree with?

Quote by Japan Today:

The Tokyo District Court rejected on Thursday a damages suit filed by 172 Tokyo public school teachers, who claimed it is unconstitutional to punish them as they refused to stand up in front of the Hinomaru flag in singing the ‘‘Kimigayo’’ anthem at school ceremonies.

Quote by Prince Hotels president Yukihiro Watanabe:

"We thought that the activities of right-wing groups and so on would cause neighboring residents and our guests a lot of trouble, and we had no other option," police quoted Watanabe as saying.

Quote by Prince rep:

"We refused to let the Japan Teacher's Union use our banquet hall out of our sheer desire to avoid trouble to neighboring residents and so on. As a result, we decided that the accommodation would also be unnecessary," the representative said. "Our primary aim was not to refuse accommodation."

YOKOHAMA — A court rejected on Thursday a lawsuit filed by a group of 135 Kanagawa public school teachers who are opposed to singing the ‘‘Kimigayo’’ national anthem at ceremonies—an act they argue infringes on freedom of thought. The Yokohama District Court ruled that standing up and singing the ‘‘Kimigayo’’ anthem at the instruction of school principals in the prefecture are part of rituals and not considered anything forced on the basis of a specific kind of thought.

When the singing of "Kimigayo," Japan's national anthem, was announced, I saw the principal, vice principal and visiting school board officials stand up. None of the parents joined them. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a few parents who were videotaping sit down,...

[...]

Is it just possible that a greater number of citizens would stand up freely if they knew that not even one of their fellow citizens would be punished for staying put or rewarded for standing?

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered Prince Hotels Inc to pay about 290 million yen in compensation to the Japan Teachers Union and its members, as sought by the plaintiffs, for canceling reservations the union made for its annual meeting in 2007. ‘‘The unilateral cancellation by the hotel operator is not based on any legal grounds, and it is clear that it committed non-fulfillment of an obligation,’’ Presiding Judge Kiyotaka Kono said. ‘‘It should be legally guaranteed that people can attend meetings in order to exchange views so they can establish and develop their own thoughts and personalities.’’

The hotel operator also refused to follow an order issued by the Tokyo District and Tokyo High courts to allow the union to use the hotel as a meeting venue.