In response to former Prime Minister Abe's death after being shot, last month in Kanagawa Prefecture, the Kawasaki City Board of Education issued a notice to encourage all municipal schools to raise the flag at half-staff at the funeral.
The board of education said, ``If it is difficult to respond, there is no problem because there are points to note that you do not have to implement it.''
On the 11th and 12th of last month, the Kawasaki City Board of Education issued a notice to a total of 175 municipal schools to raise the flag at half-mast at the funeral of former Prime Minister Abe.
A letter from Kawasaki City requesting that flags be raised at half-mast at public facilities was sent to the school. was also included.
We will not investigate whether each school actually hoisted the flag at half-staff because it could put pressure on the school.
The Kawasaki City Board of Education said, "As a point to keep in mind, it is written that if it is difficult to respond, it is not necessary to implement it, so we think there is no problem."
Norihiko Fukuda, mayor of Kawasaki City, said, "I believe that flags at half-staff are a way of expressing condolences and do not violate political neutrality. However, there are no standards for when flags should be raised at half-staff. I've made a decision, so it may not have been appropriate, so I'd like to start considering making rules."