The "Law Regarding the National Flag and National Anthem" was passed in 1999, choosing both the "Hinomaru" and "Kimigayo" as Japan's national symbols. The passage of the law stemmed from a suicide of the principal of in Sera, Hiroshima, Toshihiro Ishikawa, who could not resolve a dispute between his school board and his teachers over the use of the "Hinomaru" and "Kimigayo". The Act is one of the most controversial laws passed by the Diet since the 1992 "Law Concerning Cooperation for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and Other Operations", also known as the "International Peace Cooperation Law".