Japan Press Weekly

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2015 July 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

War-glorifying textbooks to be used in Tokyo-run junior high schools

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education on July 23 chose history and civic textbooks glorifying Japan’s past aggressive wars for use in Tokyo-run junior and senior high schools and schools for children with special needs.

Students aged 13 to 15 years attending these schools will use the textbooks published by the rightist publisher, Ikuhosha, from April next year.

When the Board was holding the decision-making meeting on the day, 20 Tokyo citizens, including Japanese Communist Party member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Satoyoshi Yumi, filled the public gallery, watching the meeting’s proceedings. In front of them, education board chair Nakai Keizo and five board members adopted the textbooks in question by secret vote. Of the six board members, two voted for textbooks other than Ikuhosha’s.

After the adoption, JCP assemblyperson Satoyoshi said, “It is unacceptable for the education commission to select these war-glorifying textbooks.”

In protest against the education board’s adoption, many civil groups, including the New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) Tokyo Metropolitan Headquarters, issued statements calling for the withdrawal of the adoption.

The JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group on June 29 urged the commission that balanced, democratic textbooks be used in public junior high schools.

Past related articles:
> 90 civic groups in Japan and S. Korea oppose war-glorifying, anti-constitutional publishers’ textbooks [June 3, 2015]
> War-glorifying textbooks may be used in Yokohama schools [SJune 30, 2011]