Japan keeps an eye on its text books

Press, 4 August 1981, Page 16

Japan keeps an eye on its text books

By

DONALD KIRK in Tokyo

A noted Japanese economics professor spent more than 13 hours the other day defending the use of the word "imperialism'’ in a textbook he had submitted for approval to the Ministry of Education. The ministry remained firm: the word was decreed a “Marxist” term and banned from use in the lone footnote in which it appeared. Also banned from the same footnote was the term “monetary capitalism." another expression judged politically biased and unfit for study by Japanese high school students. “I put them in the footnote only to define them," said professor Kishimonto of Yokohama National University. "I was completely neutral about them." The deletions were among 10.000 changes ordered by the ministry in more than 20 new textbooks finally approved for use in a controversial new course on “Modern Society.” The changes have aroused criticism from the Socialistdominated Japan Teachers Union as well as Japan’s powerful national newspapers, fearful of a revival of the kind of rightist policies that characterised Japanese education before the war.

“Obeying government instructions will give the impression the textbooks are compiled by the State." said “Yomiuri Shimbun," Japan’s largest daily newspaper. “It will run counter to the education theme of ‘unrestrictedness and enrichment’ aimed at -producing citizens with free spirit, creativity and individuality." But the ministry refuses to budge on 13 basic requirements for every book approved for the course. Each reflects the conservative outlook of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, in power for a generation. One rule, for instance, says textbooks for the course must describe Japan’s post-war Constitution but not mention the “procedure” under which it was created. The reason is obvious: the Constitution was devised not by the Japanese but by. the conquering American commander. General • Douglas MacArthur, in 1946. Another rule requires textbooks to give the official justification for Japan’s Self-De-' fence Forces, the oblique name of its armed services. The forces were established during ; the Korean war, and textbooks have to include mention of surveys showing that a majority of the Japanese people view

the forces as "constitutional." even though the Constitution bans any form of military establishment. On the equally controversial topic of defence spending, all the “modern society" textbooks must show that each year’s military budget remains within the official ceiling of 1 per cent of gross national product — and note that figure is less than that of all other advanced countries. Textbooks cannot criticise capitalism — an especially touchy point among socialist teachers and professors — or even mention the names of companies involved in enormous cases of corruption. Thus high school students will have to look elsewhere to know that a former Prime Minister, Mr Kakuei Tanaka, is now on trial on charges of having accepted bribes from Lockheed in return for the purchase of aircraft. The Ministry of Education veers even closer to ordering straight propaganda in suggest-' ing that textbook authors describe the “patriotic mind" as one that shows “awareness of the nation” and enumerate the three duties of all Japanese — to pay taxes, work and vote — Copyright. London Observer Service.