Almost 6 years ago Japan passed a law creating an official Japanese flag and an official Japanese anthem. Before that, there was no law fora Japanese flag or far a national anthem. Now, in school ceremonies , like graduations, people should show the Japanese flag and sing the national anthem. Teachers and students who do not like to respect the flag or to sing the national anthem in the ceremonies are punished by the director - because of the new law. Before there was some agreement among the people that the Japanese flag was the symbol of militarism, and the anthem celebrated the Emperor.
This is akin to the uniforms of Japan Overseas Cooperate Volunteers, the Japanese Peace Corp.
As a Volunteer I lived in Zanzibar, Tanzania from 1992 � 1994, and I taught wood block printing to young Zanzibar artists at the art school of Nyumba ya Sanaa, in Zanzibar. Before I went to Tanzania, all members of the Japan Overseas Cooperate Volunteers had to meet the Emperor, who is the honorary president of the organization. In Tanzania we got 200USD per month for meals, books and gas for our motor bike. Those days, Tanzanian people got 30USD for their jobs.
In Tanzania, I had a lot of girl friends who loved my money. In this performance, the title of the comic book used is, "What is a Patriotic War?"
The comic book's author says that Japan must have more military power, and we Japanese must have a more patriot spirit. This very popular comic book refutes the Nanking genocide by the Japanese army. It claims that there was no Korean or E.A. And claims that there were no women sex slaves in the Japanese army, claiming they were only commercial prostitutes.
More than a million people bought and read this book, most of them under the age of 30.