But as the government's seemingly relentless nationalistic march continues, a march which many pundits believe will see Japan stride its way back into militarism and wittingly put a nation of peace lovers directly in the line of fire, clearer heads are prevailing in some instances recently, including when the Tokyo District Court ruled that the capital's municipal government must pay a total of 537 million yen (4.5 million U.S. dollars) to 22 former high school teachers.

The teachers were not re-employed under a scheme that allows for teachers to work beyond the official retirement age, because they disobeyed orders to stand and sing the national anthem at graduation ceremonies and, despite a 2012 ruling by the Supreme Court, which ruled that penalizing teachers for not standing and singing the national anthem was constitutional, but the level of punishment should be "carefully considered" by administrators, a Tokyo district judge presiding over the case of the 22 teachers said that the Tokyo government's refusal to re-hire the group was disproportionate to the offense.

"There needs to be careful consideration when penalizing people because they behaved in a way based on their own beliefs," district judge Toru Yoshida was quoted by local media as saying recently on the issue.

"Abe wants flags raised and the anthem sung at all institutions from elementary school-age up, but there'll be growing resistance to this, I believe, and the case in Tokyo regarding the 22 teachers is a testament to this," Hasegawa said.

"I love my job and I love being an educator and there are many things I also love and respect about my university and, in the grand scheme of things, I would say that the university I work for is one of the more progressive ones in Japan, but just because we rely on state funds does not and will never mean we have to bow to every whim of the government, particularly ones that have overtly nationalistic undertones like forcing teachers to sing the national anthem," Hasegawa concluded.