 A similar incident in Osaka in 2010 also occurred, with 32 teachers refusing to sing the song in a ceremony.In 2011, nine more teachers joined the rebellion, along with another eight in 2012.Hashimoto Toru, the mayor of Osaka, slated the teachers as "[i]t was good that criminals [teachers] who are intent on breaking the rules [of not singing the state anthem] have risen to the surface [public]".