Japan: New textbooks unfit for tomorrow

TOKYO: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has completed its screening of textbooks for elementary and junior high schools for the 2002 school year. History and social studies textbooks produced by the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform were approved after some revisions.

In principle, government review of school textbooks should be kept to a minimum. Textbook diversity should be welcomed. We hope, however, that today's children -- who will lead the next, more internationally astute, generation -- will have multifaceted perspectives and be able to think for themselves. But the Society for History Textbook Reform's offerings lack balance. We consider them unfit for classroom use.

The organization's textbooks are tinged by a narrow-minded effort to present Japan in the period of the last world war in a favorable light. For example, one whole page is devoted to a description of the "Great East Asia Conference" convened by Japan by inviting representatives of the occupied region. The society's fundamental perspective is that Japan's actions contributed to the liberation of Asian nations, and its view stands even after revision of the original manuscripts in the course of the education ministry's review.

The society's textbooks are also strongly biased to an emperor-centered point of view. The content goes far beyond presenting ancient creation myth as unsubstantiated tales and devotes a full seven pages to the "Legend of the Eastern Expedition by Emperor Jimmu" along with a route map. There is a strong resemblance to the prewar textbooks compiled by the state.

On the other hand, the society's textbooks are short on history as it involves ordinary people and make little mention of women and children in various periods in history or the cultures of the ethnic Ainu or the people of the Ryukyus. In contrast, individual devotion to the state, characterized in messages left by members of wartime tokkotai (suicide attack units), is praised. The books are notable for their heavy emphasis on the supremacy of the state.

The social studies textbook is permeated with the theme of the virtue of individuals sacrificing themselves for the nation. In discussing the constitutions of several nations, the textbook points out, "Obligation to defend one's country is provided for (in those constitutions) as a solemn public duty."

The frontispiece of the social studies book is a photo of a member of the Diet's Lower House who went ashore on one of the disputed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai), claimed by both Japan and China.

The textbook asserts, "Nationalism is the last bastion against highly sophisticated information society" and concludes, "It is important to look back on the history of the nation." There are indeed many problems inherent in globalization. But it seems regressive to try to counter the tide of global perspective by burnishing the view of the nation's history.

On the makeup of the international community, some textbooks by other publishers present diverse opinions, such as, "It is impossible for the world to become one," and "One world can be achieved if all people strive for that goal," and urge students to think about it.

The education ministry's curriculum guidance for defining the basic standard for education states that it is the duty of adults to "consider things from many angles and from a broad perspective to nurture men and women who will build a democratic and peaceful nation and a society that coexists with the international community."

The Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform tries to sweep Japan's negative wartime behavior under the rug, such as its victimization of people in other countries, in the guise of "overcoming a masochistic view of history."

If children are confined to such a normative view, their "understanding of -- and affection for -- the land and history of the country," the supposed objective of study, will have only a very frail foundation.

We doubt, furthermore, whether the society's textbooks meet the criteria of teaching materials. Such expressions as kiin- seido (grace and elegance) used in art criticism, or the statement "shimin (citizens) are separated from komin (members of the community)," are difficult even for adults to comprehend. The society's textbooks fail to make such concepts easier for junior high school students to understand.

Some members of the Diet's Lower House made an issue of the fact that the original material from the society's textbooks was leaked during the course of review in the education ministry. However, it is not at all unusual for representatives of publishing companies to visit schools with advance copies of their textbooks for publicity purposes

Arguing that the drafts of textbooks should be kept secret until after the screening while tolerating the actions of such publishing representatives leads to unnecessary confusion. The problem should instead be resolved by making public the screening process -- now supposedly done in secret -- by disclosing the texts.

Education boards throughout the nation now begin deciding which textbooks children will use. The textbooks are intended to be materials to nurture the young people who will meet the challenges of the 21st century. Their choices should not be left solely in the hands of education boards. Parents and the general public, as well as educators, should also say what they think about the process.

-- The Asahi Shimbun