July 25, 2011
The following is an Akahata interview with Sugimoto Akira, secretary general of the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom, which carries out actions to block municipalities from approving civics textbooks published by the two rightwing publishers, Jiyusha and Ikuhosha, to be used at public junior high schools.
Praise prewar constitution
The problem with the civics textbooks created by the two publishers is that they try to implant a wrong understanding regarding basic principles of the Japanese Constitution, which are the people’s sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism.
The two textbooks praise the Constitution of the Empire of Japan as having been “highly respected domestically and internationally as the first Constitution in Asia” (Jiyusha). The prewar Constitution, however, allowed the Diet to pass laws to suppress human rights. The Public Order Maintenance Law was one such legislation that was used to crack down on citizens’ political actions and statements. Neither of the two textbooks talks about its disregard of human rights.
The Japanese Constitution declares that fundamental human rights are “eternal and inviolate rights,” indicating that even the state cannot violate them. This major difference between the present and prewar constitutions, in addition to the shift of sovereignty from the emperor to the people, is not mentioned in the two textbooks.
The two publishers criticize the Japanese Constitution as being unilaterally imposed on Japan by the United States. Ikuhosha includes revision of the Constitution in its basic principles, claiming the need to revise it without properly explaining its principles.
Restrict human rights
Under the present Constitution, fundamental human rights should be respected “to the extent that it does not interfere with the public welfare.”
Jiyusha and Ikuhosha exaggerate this stipulation and state in their textbooks that human rights should not “confuse the social order or undermine the interests of the whole society” (Ikuhosha).
This argument, claiming as if human rights in principle can be restricted by the state, is far from the basic idea of the Constitution.
Junior high school students must be taught the basic knowledge necessary to be responsible citizens in the society. It is inappropriate for textbooks used in compulsory education to teach only a one-sided view.
Praise prewar constitution
The problem with the civics textbooks created by the two publishers is that they try to implant a wrong understanding regarding basic principles of the Japanese Constitution, which are the people’s sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism.
The two textbooks praise the Constitution of the Empire of Japan as having been “highly respected domestically and internationally as the first Constitution in Asia” (Jiyusha). The prewar Constitution, however, allowed the Diet to pass laws to suppress human rights. The Public Order Maintenance Law was one such legislation that was used to crack down on citizens’ political actions and statements. Neither of the two textbooks talks about its disregard of human rights.
The Japanese Constitution declares that fundamental human rights are “eternal and inviolate rights,” indicating that even the state cannot violate them. This major difference between the present and prewar constitutions, in addition to the shift of sovereignty from the emperor to the people, is not mentioned in the two textbooks.
The two publishers criticize the Japanese Constitution as being unilaterally imposed on Japan by the United States. Ikuhosha includes revision of the Constitution in its basic principles, claiming the need to revise it without properly explaining its principles.
Restrict human rights
Under the present Constitution, fundamental human rights should be respected “to the extent that it does not interfere with the public welfare.”
Jiyusha and Ikuhosha exaggerate this stipulation and state in their textbooks that human rights should not “confuse the social order or undermine the interests of the whole society” (Ikuhosha).
This argument, claiming as if human rights in principle can be restricted by the state, is far from the basic idea of the Constitution.
Junior high school students must be taught the basic knowledge necessary to be responsible citizens in the society. It is inappropriate for textbooks used in compulsory education to teach only a one-sided view.
