June 30, 2011
Conservative groups are stepping up their move to urge the Yokohama City Board of Education to adopt war-glorifying textbooks to be used at the city’s public junior high schools.
Textbooks in question cover the subjects of history and civics published by Jiyusha and Ikuhosha, both hostile to the Constitution.
Jiyusha in its history textbook refers to the Pacific War as the Greater East Asian War or as a war for Japan’s survival and self-defense, claiming that the Japanese victory helped “foster the dreams and courage of Asian peoples towards their independence.” Both publishers’ civics textbooks carry comments praising the Hinomaru and Kimigayo, and emphasize that the United States imposed the present Constitution on Japan.
Up until now, each of Yokohama’s 18 wards adopted textbooks to be used in each ward’s public junior highs. Currently, students in 8 wards are using the controversial textbooks, accounting for 65% (13,000) of Yokohama’s JH students while only 1.68% or 20,050 students nationwide are using the textbooks.
In 2012, the Yokohama City Board of Education will choose textbooks to be used at all the 18 wards’ junior highs. So, if the city chooses the textbooks of either Jiyusha or Ikuhosha, the number of junior high students using these textbooks will increase to 100,000 in Yokohama alone in the next four years.
Ultra conservatives and right-wing forces are now eager to realize their move to have Yokohama adopt those textbooks so that they will be able to influence Yokohama youth’s perception of Japan’s past war.
Parents and teachers in the 3.7 million-population city of Yokohama are conducting a 200,000-signature drive, calling for rejection of the textbooks which call for a militarist revival in Japan.
Textbooks in question cover the subjects of history and civics published by Jiyusha and Ikuhosha, both hostile to the Constitution.
Jiyusha in its history textbook refers to the Pacific War as the Greater East Asian War or as a war for Japan’s survival and self-defense, claiming that the Japanese victory helped “foster the dreams and courage of Asian peoples towards their independence.” Both publishers’ civics textbooks carry comments praising the Hinomaru and Kimigayo, and emphasize that the United States imposed the present Constitution on Japan.
Up until now, each of Yokohama’s 18 wards adopted textbooks to be used in each ward’s public junior highs. Currently, students in 8 wards are using the controversial textbooks, accounting for 65% (13,000) of Yokohama’s JH students while only 1.68% or 20,050 students nationwide are using the textbooks.
In 2012, the Yokohama City Board of Education will choose textbooks to be used at all the 18 wards’ junior highs. So, if the city chooses the textbooks of either Jiyusha or Ikuhosha, the number of junior high students using these textbooks will increase to 100,000 in Yokohama alone in the next four years.
Ultra conservatives and right-wing forces are now eager to realize their move to have Yokohama adopt those textbooks so that they will be able to influence Yokohama youth’s perception of Japan’s past war.
Parents and teachers in the 3.7 million-population city of Yokohama are conducting a 200,000-signature drive, calling for rejection of the textbooks which call for a militarist revival in Japan.
