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2018 March 28 - April 3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Anti-Korea comic publisher allowed to enter ethics education of junior high students

April 3, 2018
A person who serves as head of an anti-Korea comic publisher is also the president of a junior high school ethics textbook company, Akahata learned on April 2.

The person in question, Takeda Yoshiteru, heads the ethics textbook company, Nihon Kyokasho.

The company register shows that Takeda’s predecessor is Prime Minister Abe’s political “brain” ,Yagi Hidetsugu, who is also professor at Reitaku University. Yagi was a member of PM Abe’s advisory panel which in 2013 proposed that “morals” be taught as a regular subject in classes.

Nihon Kyokasho’s ethics textbooks passed the Education Ministry’s screening for selecting textbooks to be used in junior high schools starting in April 2019.

Meanwhile, on the official website of Shinyusha, a publisher of comics which justifies Japan’s past war of aggression and fuels anti-South Korea sentiments, Takeda appears as the chairman.

In response to an Akahata inquiry, Nihon Kyokasho accepted that its head Takeda doubles as the comic publisher chairman.

Shinyusha’s manga series titled “Kenkanryu (Hating the Korean Wave)” is famous as a pioneer among anti-South Korea books written to inflame animosity by Japanese toward Koreans and to spread vicious slanders against Korea. The manga series “Kenkanryu” justifies Japan’s annexation of Korea by force, stating, “Japan had no choice but to make the Korean Peninsula part of its territory in order to defend Korea from an invasion by Western powers. As a result, Japan had to provide a considerable amount of funds to help improve Korean living conditions.”

Shinyusha has also published another anti-South Korea book written by Sakurai Makoto, former leader of Japan’s major right-wing group Zaitokukai which frequently organizes hate speech demonstrations.

Secretary General of the civil group “Children and Textbook Japan Network 21” Tawara Yoshifumi said, “The publication of Shinyusha includes immoral books like the comic which intends to incite hate for Japan’s neighborhoods. I’m angry at hearing that a Shinyusha-affiliated company has been allowed to enter the publication of textbooks for ethics classes.”

Akahata in its inquiry to Nihon Kyokasho pointed out that it is inadequate for the person, who represents the publisher of books fomenting hatred and discrimination against other nations, to engage in publishing ethics textbooks, and then asked for the company’s opinion on the matter. As of April 2, Akahata received no response from the textbook publisher.

Past related article:
> Instilling specific moral education in children using ‘ethics’ classes is unconstitutional [April 4, 2015]

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