Diet members and foreign dignitaries on Friday attended a ceremony to celebrate National Founding Day at the Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Yet, despite the efforts of organizing officials to emphasize the historical significance of the ceremony, the occasion was marked more by the prevalence of vacant seats. The over 2,000-seat hall was filled to less than one third of its capacity. Sources close to the organizer said more Cabinet members should have accompanied Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to the ceremony. This Founding Day was the first since the Hinomaru flag and "Kimigayo" national anthem were officially adopted last year. The ceremony began with a rendition of the anthem, with all participants facing a flag hanging above the stage. Obuchi paid homage to predecessors whose hard work he said contributed to a peaceful and affluent Japan. He expressed concern, however, over "whether Japan can earn real respect in the world when our offspring grow up." The heads of both chambers of the Diet were present at the ceremony, as well as members from the coalition parties. None of the opposition party members attended. Representatives from about 20 embassies were also invited to the occasion. Meanwhile, participants in a symposium organized by a civic group the same day voiced concern over what they call a growing move toward nationalism in Japan. The organizer of the symposium denounced the National Founding Day as a "bogus" holiday which, before the end of the war, had been an occasion to praise the imperial system and glorify the nation's wars of aggression. At the symposium titled "State vs. People -- Think of Growing Nationalism," history professor Yun Kon Cha at Kanagawa University criticized the lack of awareness among Japanese people of various social issues that affect their lives. Referring to laws recently enacted, such as one authorizing wiretapping by police, another recognizing the national flag and anthem, and a group of others to implement the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, participants said it appears the government is attempting to tighten state control. But Yun said the public cannot simply blame the government. "Successive Cabinets have always tried to establish such laws," Yun said. "The people just happened to approve them last year." "Nationalism did not emerge all of a sudden," he said, adding that the problem rests on the voters. The professor also criticized the postwar Constitution for not covering people from former Japanese colonies, thereby excluding such people from pensions and other benefits from the Japanese government that they are entitled to. "But I would not say the Constitution should be revised (as being discussed by Diet members)," he said, "because I know it is going to be changed for the worse." He stressed that Japanese people must realize the fact that Koreans have always been exploited and disdained by Japan. "You should be willing to have a minority's viewpoint," he told the more than 100 participants. "Then, you can understand more about the mechanisms of society." The symposium was organized by the Forum for Peace, Human Rights and Environment, a nongovernmental organization affiliated with labor unions. Representatives of five NGOs working on issues such as war-related compensation also took part.
