When truth not the whole truth

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 18

When truth not the whole truth

The latest Japanese Government censorship — politely dubbed “screening” — of school textbooks is even more stringent than before, despite the furore from Asian countries in 1982 over Japan’s educational whitewash of its past aggression and brutalities, writes Peter McGill from Tokyo. The Ministry of Education’s scissors this year have not just been restricted to textbook authors’ opinions which contradict those of the Government, ®ut to matters of inconQbvertible fact

A social studies textbook for junior high (13-to-15-year-old) students that dared state, “Many people are concerned with the safety of nuclear power plants and sea water contamination, because there have been leak-, ages of radioactive substances,” had this crossed out by the Ministry. The reason: “Nuclear plants have taken stricter measures than before and, therefore, safety is assured.” It was also pointed out that nuclear: energy will soon account for sialf of Japan’s needs.

Another textbook which correctly noted that defence spending had been rising faster than that for welfare and education had the passage deleted for being “one-sided.” In any event, the Education Ministry added, the defence budget was not going up “excessively.” For history texts, only the most conservative estimates of the number of Chinese victims of the Nanking massacre and of Japanese in the battle of Okinawa are accepted. The Ministry also insists that the millions of Koreans drafted as labourers to serve the

Japanese empire were “not forcibly” brought to Japan. One concession the Ministry reluctantly made to Asian sensitivities was to delete a photograph of Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone worshipping last year at Yasukuni where Japanese war criminals, including General Hideki Tojo, are enshrined. Nakasone was severely embarrassed by the uproar from China at his “official” homage, and cancelled subsequent visits. Copyright—London Observer Service.