EDUCATION IN JAPAN

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21039, 15 February 1940, Page 9

EDUCATION IN JAPAN

NATIONALISTIC EMPHASIS

REVISION OF TEXT BOOKS HISTORICAL FACTS IGNORED New educational emphases are being chosen in Japan with the idea of stressing the “ Imperial Principle ” and of subordinating Japan’s cultural indebtedness to others, writes a contributor to the Christian Science Monitor. As a result of decisions by the Education Ministry Committee on the Review of Text Books, revision is to be carried out on certain sections of history texts used in the fifth year of lower schools and in the first year of the higher elementary schools. Four points are to be stressed: 1 With regard to the “ Imperial Principles,” the attitude is to be made “ more positive.’ ’ 2 Sections which deal with reverence to Japan’s ancient dieties and devotions to ancestors —prime points of Shinto worship, increasingly an instrument of the State in Japan—will be enlarged. 3 Stress will be laid upon the independence of Japanese culture together with its range, while descriptions “ subservient to foreign culture ” are to be altered and presumably cut down or eliminated. Matter pertaining to hero worship and the biographies of individuals are to be omitted and instead, “ broad knowledge ” will be emphasised. Nationalistic Trend Changes in language will be made where necessary. In general, while alterations are not sensational, it appears that they are in line with the present strongly nationalistic trend and designed to accentuate a singleminded devotion to Japanese ideas and ideals. It is of interest to note that Japanese educational notions have spread afield to include the Japan-occupied areas of China. Foreign missionary educators find it impossible to carry on higher education in these sections. Yenching University at Peiping is a conspicuous exception and this year’s applications were five times the number which could be accepted. Such schools as carry on find that at least a degree of self-censorship is essential is difficulties with the Japanese are to be avoided. The experience of one missionary school is significant. That institution dispensed with the teaching of history and geography altogether because of the wide divergence between its views of the facts in those subjects and those of the Japanese military. Made-in-Japan Teaching What will be the effect, in time, of nade-in-Japan instruction methods over considerable areas of the Far East is beginning to be apparent. Already in Japan it is evident that the general public’s notions of Japanese cultural borrowings from China and the West have been greatly altered away from historic facts. Perhaps it is not especially important if the Japanese grow to believe that the railway, the Airplane, and the automatic-opening elevator door are inventions of their fellow-coun-trymen. But the new aim appears to teach both Japanese and Chinese to believe that almost everything of value starts from Japanese origins.