DGIV/EDU/HIST (2000)10 Activities for the Development and Consolidation of Democratic Stability (ADACS) Meeting of Experts on History Teaching –Japan and the Russian Federation Tokyo, Japan, 25 -27 October 2000 Proceedings Strasbourg Meeting of Experts on History Teaching – Japan and the Russian Federation Tokyo, Japan, 25 -27 October 2000 Proceedings The opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe. CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 5 II. OFFICAL PRESENTATIONS................................................................... 7 III. PRESENTATIONS OF THE RUSSIAN EXPERTS ................................. 13 Dr V. BATSYN........................................................................................... 13 Dr S. GOLUBEV........................................................................................ 18 Dr O. STRELOVA...................................................................................... 23 Dr T.N. ROMANCHENKO........................................................................ 35 IV.PRESENTATIONS OF THE JAPANESE EXPERTS............................... 42 Professor Y. TORIUMI............................................................................... 42 Professor M. MATSUMURA..................................................................... 50 Professor K. TAMURA.............................................................................. 59 Professor F. GOMI...................................................................................... 61 Professor T. KOBAYASHI......................................................................... 63 Professor T. IWAASA ................................................................................ 65 Professor Y. SUSUKI ................................................................................. 68 V. CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................... 75 VI.LIST OF PARTICIPANTS......................................................................... 77 -5- I. INTRODUCTION The Meeting of Experts on History Teaching – Japan and the Russian Federation – was organised by the International Society for Educational Information (ISEI) of Japan and the Council of Europe, and took place in Tokyo, from 25 –27 October 2000. The aims of the Meeting were to: • discuss how Russian and Japanese histories are being taught in secondary schools in these countries; • analyse the way in which new history textbooks are being developed in Japan and Russia; • discuss a plan for future co-operation. The discussions on how to teach the history of neighbouring countries in secondary schools started in 1998. The Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, organised a Seminar on “The teaching of history in multicultural societies and border areas” (Khabarovsk, September 1998). This Seminar was organised within the framework of the Secretary General’s New Initiative and was one of the activities undertaken within the project on the reform of history teaching and the preparation of new history textbooks in the Russian Federation. These activities concentrated on co-operation in the preparation of: • new standards and curricula in teaching history; • new history textbooks for secondary schools; • the initial and in-service training of history teachers. After the changes of the early 1990s, history teaching needed to be changed and brought into line with modern methodology and have the former ideology removed. The main aim of the Council of Europe’s project on the reform of history teaching was to provide countries in transition with information on European experiences in history teaching to help them to respond to the new challenges facing them. In this context, the Council of Europe organised a two-day Meeting as a follow up to the Seminar in Khabarovsk (St. Petersburg, June 1999). This Meeting enabled officials and educators from Russia and Japan to discuss the past, present and future of history teaching in these countries. More specifically, formal presentations and discussions focused on the way in which Japan is presented in Russian teaching and the way in which Russia is presented in Japanese history curricula and textbooks. -6- The beginning of the discussions between Russia and Japan which, until recently, had not been open to the exchange of views in education, now may be considered as a step forward in strengthening co-operation in the area of education between these countries. The willingness of Russian and Japanese educators to develop contacts corresponds to the general process of developing co-operation between these countries in economic and political areas in present time. The participants of both Meetings stressed the important role of the Council of Europe in this co-operation. During the Meetings in St. Petersburg and Tokyo, the participants concluded that when comparing history textbooks for secondary schools, Russian and Japanese histories are still mainly presented through political issues related to wars and conflicts rather then through positive themes from their shared histories. One of the proposals of these Meetings was to look once more at history textbooks and to try to strike a balance between political, social and cultural history and to include more themes illustrating co-operation between the two countries. The participants agreed that each country should prepare a list of themes which it would like to be included on its history in the history textbooks of the other country. These proposals were supported by the ministry officials and it encourages the hope that, in future, Russian and Japanese history textbooks will contain more information about Japanese and Russian culture, fine arts, philosophy and customs which will help pupils from both countries better to understand their neighbours and strengthen their interests in each other. The recommendations of these Meetings correspond to the development of new approaches in teaching history in secondary schools which are being developed by educators from different countries in the seminars organised by the Council of Europe. Nowadays, teachers often use examples of everyday life when teaching history. It enables them to present history in a more colourful way rather than in black and white about wars and heroes. A course on history, which includes different elements on culture and every-day life, gives the opportunity to teach more about human values, as well as to create positive images of countries, in particular, neighbouring countries. This is important for strengthening stability in different regions as well as in the world. The discussions started in St. Petersburg and Tokyo continued at the Seminar on “New approaches in the preparation and publication of history textbooks in the Russian Federation” (Vladivostok, May 2001) organised by the Council of Europe with the participation of specialist from Japan. -7- II. OFFICIAL PRESENTATIONS ADDRESS BY Ms KAYA, Chair of the Board of the ISEI, to the Meeting I am very glad to have the opportunity to address the Meeting and to greet Dr Alexander Kisilev, First Deputy Minister of Education of Education of the Russian Federation, Dr Vladimir Batsyn, Deputy Head of the Department of Regional Policies, the Ministry of Education, Dr Olga Strelova, Senior Researcher at Khabarovsk State Pedagogical University, Ms Tatiana Romanchenko, Senior Methodologist at Promorskiy Institute of Initial and In- Service Teacher Training, and Dr Sergey Goloubev, Head of the Department of World History at Tver State University, from the Russian Federation, as well as Ms Alison Cardwell and Ms Tatiana Milko from the Council of Europe. I am very happy to welcome to Japan these participants in the Meeting, and to thank them for travelling such a long distance to join us today. As you know this Meeting is the third in a series of gatherings prepared by the Council of Europe. The first was a Seminar held in Khabarovsk in September 1998 on the subject of “The Teaching of History in Multicultural Societies and Border Areas”, and the second was a ‘follow-up’ meeting in St. Petersburg in June 1998. Three specialists from, the International Society for Educational Information attended that meeting as representatives from Japan. The meetings have become established Council of Europe seminars. Our Society has, since 1995, sponsored a programme of “ History Conferences for Mutual Understanding ”. These have involved inviting history and history teaching specialists from 11 countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania to Japan in order to give them, and specialists from Japan, the opportunity to study each other’s history and enhance mutual understanding by looking closely at the way each of us teaches history. In particular, we have held periodic conferences with China and South Korea. Russia and Japan being neighbouring countries with deep historical relations, we feel strongly that the deepening of mutual understanding that can be achieved by more frequent meetings between our history specialists and teachers is very important for the future of our two countries. The International Society for Educational Information would, with your permission, very much like to include the current Russo-Japanese History Conference for Mutual Understanding in Tokyo as part of the project of conferences we have already held