 Citizens meet to foil rightist school textbook About 500 teachers, lawyers, and citizens held a rally in Tokyo on April 24 to prevent public schools from using "Society for History Textbook Reform" social studies textbooks that glorifies the war of aggression. This is an initiative taken in response to the education ministry's recent approval of the society's textbooks. In Japan, the ministry's textbook screening is held every four years. After that, local boards of education discuss and choose textbooks to be used in their school districts. Four years ago, a very small number of schools chose the society's textbooks. The rally adopted an appeal calling for actions, including study meetings, signature collection, and exchanging information. The sponsor of this rally was Tokyo Network composed of 70 citizens' and lawyers' groups founded in September 2004. Ishiyama Hisao, History Educators' Council of Japan chair, said, "The history textbook devotes many pages to historic events related to the emperor, while giving little space to peasant' uprisings, opposition to the draft, and other popular movements. It is based on a historical outlook that attaches too much weight to rulers." A researcher warned that the society's textbook on civics highly glorifies the prewar Imperial Constitution and makes light of the present Constitution. It's a de facto manual for constitutional revision, he added. A participant reported that in Saitama Prefecture, Takahashi Shiro, former vice chair of the Society for History Textbook Reform, was appointed to be a prefectural board of education member. Public campaigning is increasing to stop Takahashi's involvement in choosing school textbooks, he added. Tawara Yoshifumi, "Children and Textbooks Japan Network 21" secretary general, stated that the citizens' movement is stronger than four years ago. He called for the rightists' attempt to be foiled hand in hand with the struggle against the adverse revision of the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education. (Akahata, April 25, 2005) |