"Love of Nation" School Plan Stirs Japan Debate

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\"Love of Nation\" School Plan Stirs Japan Debate
By REUTERS
Published: April 26, 2006
TOKYO (Reuters) - Respect for tradition, love of the nation and contribution to international peace.

The phrases may seem innocuous, but a plan to include them in Japan's basic law on education policy is sparking fierce debate, with critics decrying echoes of wartime militarism and some advocates lamenting that the changes don't go far enough.

Japan's cabinet is expected to approve a bill on Friday to revise the 1947 Fundamental Law of Education in what would be the first changes since its enactment during the U.S.-led postwar Occupation.

The revisions are unlikely to be welcomed by China and South Korea, both locked in bitter disputes with Japan stemming from the legacy of Tokyo's past military aggression.

Conservatives have long been dissatisfied with the U.S.-drafted law, which they say eroded the pride of Japanese in their culture and history, and negated legitimate patriotic sentiment.

``The base line of the American Occupation regime was to destroy nationalism here,'' said conservative commentator Hideaki Kase. ``It succeeded to a considerable degree.''

Among those keen on the change is Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the current front-runner in the race to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi when he steps down in September.

The revision would make it a goal of education policy to cultivate ``an attitude that respects tradition and culture, loves the nation and the homeland that have fostered them, respects other nations, and contributes to peace and development of international society.''

The phrase is the result of a compromise between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which sought stronger wording on patriotism, and its junior coalition partner, the New Komeito.

Members of the Soka Gakkai, the lay Buddhist group that supports the New Komeito, suffered under the wartime state Shinto religion and many had opposed revising the education law.

``I think the New Komeito led the debate in a positive direction,'' said Soka Gakkai spokesman Hirotsugu Terasaki.

``But as with any law, it depends on how it is carried out.''

GRADES FOR &#39ATRIOTISM'?

Japan has long had problems grappling with its history, and rows have erupted with Beijing and Seoul over textbooks that critics say whitewash Tokyo's past aggression as well as over Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni shrine for the war dead, where some war criminals are honored.

Critics of the proposed new education law fear for freedom of speech and thought and worry that the government is aiming to cultivate a new generation of nationalists to fight wars abroad.

``The 1947 law, although drafted under the leadership of the Occupation forces, embodies Japan's soul-searching on the nation's pre-war, state-centered education,'' said an editorial in the English-language Japan Times newspaper.

``Rather than change the law, we should ensure its spirit is properly followed so that its ideals take firm root in the hearts of our youth,'' the editorial said.

Some analysts said the revision, if enacted, was unlikely to have much direct impact on curriculum content.

``It's a symbolic victory'' for those who want to return to a more conservative Japan, said Robert Dujarric, a visiting research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

Some conservatives are disappointed that the proposed changes fail to refer to ``patriotic spirit.''

``This will be a kind of improvement, but you only revise this kind of law once in 10 years or 20 or 30 years,'' said commentator Kase. ``Once it is revised, it will be difficult to revise again.''

The changes are a far cry from the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education, whose exhortations to cultivate Confucian virtues for the glory of a divine emperor students once had to memorise.

The education ministry, however, has already introduced ethics textbooks that urge children to ``love one's country and hometown'' and opponents of the revised law would open the door for steps such as grading students on their ``patriotism.''

``They will rear a country of nationalists and the country will keep tilting to the right,'' said Kazuko Kori, an opposition Democratic Party lawmaker. ``We have to turn back the tide.''

Whether the law will be enacted before parliament's current session ends on June 18 remains to be seen.

``The ruling camp have the numbers and are trying hard to enact it,'' Kori told Reuters. ``We must link up with grassroots groups.''