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Grassroots Initiative Against Historical Revisionism

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Grassroots Initiative Against Historical Revisionism February 2002 15 process (saitaku seido) for elementary Grassroots Initiative and middle schools suddenly stood in against Historical Revisionism the center of public attention. The saitaku shingikai are formed ev- New Developments in the Japanese Textbook Debate ery four years as an advisory body of the education committees (kyôiku iin- by Sven Saaler kai) of each communality. For the most part, the members of the commissions n the summer of last year a small As is well known, two new text- are named by the education commit- locality in the southern most stretch books entered competition in the adop- tees in an extremely opaque and highly I of Tochigi Prefecture unexpectedly tion process for history and civics text- controversial process. Each saitaku fell into the public eye. Fujioka, a com- books for use at Japanese middle shingikai is responsible for the adoption munity of less than 20,000, which does schools. In addition to the seven text- of textbooks for all subject areas for all not even have its own homepage, be- books already under consideration for schools within a regional adoption dis- came the center of the newly re-ignited each subject, the new submissions trict (saitaku chiku), of which there are Japanese textbook debate. Up to now, were the “New History Textbook” presently 544 in Japan. Some adoption the name ‘Fujioka’ was familiar to ex- (Atarashii rekishi kyôkasho) and its com- districts encompass only one commu- perts on the textbook debates only as a plementary volume “New Civics Text- nality, if it has a certain size or popula- family name – Fujioka Nokukatsu has book” (Atarashii kômin kyôkasho) both tion, while others encompass several been one of the main protagonists of produced by the “Society for the Crea- communalities. In Tôkyô, each ward the rightist-conservative camp for tion of New History Textbooks” (Ata- (ku) composes one saitaku shingikai, many years. However, the turn of rashii rekishi kyôkasho o tsukuru-kai, or while, for example, the adoption dis- events in Japan’s history textbook de- Tsukuru-kai for short). It was assumed trict Shimotsuga in Tochigi Prefecture bate in summer 2001 was most likely that the “new textbooks” had a good encompasses ten communalities, in- not a source of joy for Fujioka Noku- chance to be selected for use in class at cluding the town of Fujioka. katsu. not a few schools, since the authors of The adoption commissions relieve In spring 2001, all domestic and for- the right-wing Tsukuru-kai had at their the education committees of a great eign protests fell ineffectively flat disposal widespread support from deal of work. Every four years between against the approval of a new and clear- people within the worlds of politics, ly revisionist history textbook through administration, finance, and the me- the textbook approval process (kyôkasho dia. Table of Contents kentei) of the Ministry for Education However, the adoption process for and Science (Monbu kagaku-shô). How- middle school textbooks did not take Title Story 1 ever, completely unexpectedly, the shape as smoothly as the textbook ap- adoption system (saitaku seido) for Japa- proval process (kentei seido) at the Min- Current Research 2 nese middle school textbooks turned istry for Education and Science, which DIJ Events 3 out to be an effective means for various approved the “new textbooks” in April grassroots movements to express their 2001. Yet, even so, the Ministry de- New DIJ Series 4 displeasure, to prevent the use of the manded 137 corrections, amendments, widely and vehemently criticized “new deletions, and improvements – a DIJ Publications 5 history textbook,” and in so doing, to record that the Tsukuru-kai need not call into question the results of the ap- fear being broken. Despite this, both Reports on Conferences 7 proval process for textbooks by the textbooks finally received the Minis- Book Review 8 Ministry of Education and Science. try’s approval and, with it, the sanction Since the inner workings of the adop- of the Japanese state. Other Matters / Outlook 9 tion process for textbooks – in contrast The Ministry’s approval, however, to the approval process – were widely was only the first step toward the dis- unknown up to that point even in Ja- semination of the textbooks and their German Institute for Japanese Studies pan, in the following I shall provide a revisionist image of history. In the case Philipp Franz von Siebold Stiftung sketch of this process in the light of the of textbooks for Japanese high schools, Managing editors: Isa Ducke, Sven Saa- events of Summer 2001 with reference each school has the right to select ler to the implications of the participation which textbooks it will use, while, in Nissei Kôjimachi Bldg. of common citizens on educational and contrast, the selection of textbooks for 3-3-6 Kudan-Minami political decisions, and provide an out- elementary and middle schools is Chiyoda-ku, Tôkyô 102-0074, Japan look on the still smoldering textbook made by a supra-communal adoption Tel.: +81-3-3222-5077 debate. In September 2001, the DIJ held commission (saitaku shingikai). The role Fax: +81-3-3222-5420 a workshop on this issue (for details, of these commissions and the complex E-mail: [email protected] see the DIJ homepage). procedures of the textbook adoption Homepage: http:Ðwww.dijtokyo.org DIJ Newsletter FEBRUARY 2002 1 May and August they examine text- could never really gain a foothold next adoption process in four years books submitted for review in the 11 there. (see for example the 26 September, subject areas taught by elementary However, the adoption process 2001, edition of the magazine “Sapio”). schools and the 14 subject areas taught proved itself to be extremely multifac- The turbulent events of summer 2001 by middle schools – altogether some eted and complex. On 13 July 2001, the were certainly not the final chapter in 400 textbooks – and decide on a text- district of Shimotsuga in Tochigi, the the Japanese textbook debate. book for each subject. Normally, the de- adoption commission decided on the cision of the adoption commission is Tsukuru-kai’s textbooks for history communicated to the education com- and civics after lengthy discussions mittees of the communalities in each and a controversial vote. The Tsukuru- respective district for their acknowl- kai’s first success in the adoption proc- edgement, and the education commit- ess for state school textbooks seemed CURRENT RESEARCH tees pass on the decision to the Ministry assured. But, the decision of the adop- for Education and Science. Since text- tion commission met resistance – in the books cannot be sold on the open mar- educational committees (kyôiku iinkai) Comparison of Cor- ket in Japan, the Ministry’s central pro- of the affected communalities, which in porate Governance curement sees to it that a sufficient just a few days were flooded with hun- number of the textbooks are sent direct- dreds of letters, phone calls, faxes and Structures ly to the schools from the publisher, in e-mail from citizens all over Japan pro- keeping with the law guaranteeing free testing the decision. Unlike other The Japanese model of corporate gov- access to educational materials (1963). grassroots movements in Japan, which ernance, which is characterized by In light of this system, schools have tend to act mainly on the local level, an long-term perspective and stakehold- few opportunities to exercise influence infrastructure encompassing the entire er-orientation rather than shareholder- over the choice of the textbooks that country arose through the use of the orientation, has often been quoted as will be used in their classrooms. The Internet coordinating protests in other one reason for the economic success of decision of the adoption commission is districts, providing form letters and e- Japan. But on the other hand one has to binding for all schools in all commu- mails, and circulating petitions. acknowledge that the system is also nalities in each respective adoption At first, the education committee of characterized by insufficient (self-) district. Principals, teachers and par- the communality of Fujioka reacted to control of the executive committees ents can only have influence over the the pressure from beneath and refused and a lack of transparency. The long choice of textbooks through member- to accept the decision by the adoption crisis ushered in changes in the system ship in the adoption commissions, but commission of Shimotsuga district. As of corporate governance mechanisms, how large their influence is in such a the official reason, it was said that Tsu- although it is not clear yet in which case is unclear, since the appointment kuru-kai textbooks “transmit a distort- directions these changes will go. Will of the commission members is ex- ed perspective of history, have devel- there be a conversion to the Anglo- tremely opaque. Moreover, earlier oped into an international political Saxon model with its focus on share- common practices such as schools giv- problem, and moreover are too de- holders’ interests and return ratios? Or ing recommendations to the adoption manding and detailed for instructional will there ensue an orientation towards committees (gakkô-hyô, or shibori-komi) use in middle schools.” The other com- stakeholder interests (which, in the are being done away with in more and munalities of the district followed suit case of Germany, was explicitly more prefectures. after a few days and the adoption com- stressed by the Government’s Experts’ In anticipation of the approval of mission had to reconvene. After a new Commission on Corporate Govern- the “new textbooks” by the Ministry vote was taken, the textbooks from ance)? Or will Japan perhaps follow a for Education and Science, the Tsuku- Tôkyô Shoseki Publishers were select- third way? ru-kai had undertaken considerable ed in Shimotsuga.
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