 In a 1989 reform of the education guidelines, the LDP-controlled government first demanded that the "Hinomaru" flag must be used in school ceremonies and that proper respect must be given to it and to "Kimigayo".Punishments for school officials who did not follow this order were also enacted with the 1989 reforms.The 1999 curriculum guideline issued by the Ministry of Education after the passage of the "Law Regarding the National Flag and Anthem" decrees that "on entrance and graduation ceremonies, schools must raise the flag of Japan and instruct students to sing the "Kimigayo" (national anthem), given the significance of the flag and the song."