Stop Adoption of Fascist Textbooks
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Stop Adoption of Fascist Textbooks
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We denounce the approval, by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) on
April 5, of the history and civic textbooks for the junior high school published
by a fascist organization “Tsukuru-kai” (the Japanese Society for
History Textbook Reform)*. Let us fight against
this reactionary decision and stop the adoption of these textbooks by public
junior high schools in solidarity with the fighting Korean, Chinese and other
Asian people.
*see also our article of April 16, 2001(http://www.zenshin.org/english_home/textbook_appeal.htm)
ISHIHARA Shintaro, a Fascist Tokyo Governor, is intent to enforce adoption of the Tsukuru-kai's textbooks in the junior high schools in Tokyo, especially in Suginami Ward where his previous attempt was crushed by the inhabitants' resistance four years ago. The Ward Mayor YAMADA Hiroshi is a fascist who repeatedly states his hostility against education workers' labor movement: “Education may not be entrusted to teachers who call themselves 'education workers' ”“It is inadmissible that the teachers unions have their offices in schools.” He glorified Kamikaze Tokkotai — suicide squads of the imperial Navy — in his address at the coming-of-age ceremony this year. One of the main promoters of Channel Sakura, a fascist satellite TV Station, is Yamada. Now Suginami Ward has become thus a major battlefield of the class confrontation.
The essential aim of the textbooks of the Tsukuru-kai is, in a word, to glorify the history of Japanese imperialism and the Emperor system of war of aggression and brainwash children into devoting their lives to the State and the Emperor. They intend to stir up extremely narrow-minded patriotism of great power, describe Asian countries and people as inferior country and nation and implant sense of discrimination and chauvinism in children.
Let us sum up the contents of the textbooks of the Tsukuru-kai (more detailed
citation of the texts will be presented later).
1 Overall justification of Japan's cruel and outrageous war of aggression against,
and colonial oppression of, Korean, Chinese and other Asian people since the
Meiji era (1868-1912) till the defeat of Japanese imperialism in World War II
(1945). During the whole period more than twenty million Asian people were massacred
and three million Japanese people lost their lives.
2 Falsification of the history of 35 years' colonial rule of Korea by Japanese
imperialism (1910~1945) as “necessary measure to defend Japanese safety
and interest in North China”.
3 Legitimization of “Manchukuo”, a forged-up state with a puppet regime
put up by the Japanese Imperial Army through occupation of the northeast China,
as “an exemplified unity and prosperity of five nations, effectively developed
through Japanese heavy industries”.
4 Nasty whitewash of the large-scale massacre in Nanking in December 1937, in
which three hundred thousand defenseless Chinese people were brutally slaughtered
by Japanese imperial army.
5 Description of the Pacific War (1941-45), a war of aggression on Asian countries,
as “the Greater East Asian War” “a war of Japan's Self-Defense”
and “a war of Asian Liberation”.
6 Complete elimination of the description of the military “comfort women”
(besides, the Ministry of Education and Science exercised pressure on all other
textbook publishers to suppress the military ”comfort women” issue
after the example of the Tsukuru-kai).
7 Overt attack on Article 9 of the Constitution and insistence of constitutional
amendment, saying “There are opinions that the stipulation of Constitution
should be changed in order to define unambiguously the role of the Self Defense
Forces.”
8 Dokdo, a Korean territory, is unjustly described as “Takeshima (Japanese
nomination of Dokdo) unlawfully occupied by Korean Republic” by the strong
suggestion of the Ministry of Education and Science.
It is now evident the Fascist thought and movement of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform (Tsukuru-kai) is no more a campaign of an isolated tiny ultra-right group but a dangerous drive supported by, and amalgamated with, the Japanese imperialist state power and the ruling class as a whole. The MES together with the Japan Business Federation, a major business lobby, is intent on promoting adoption of the Tsukuru-kai's textbooks in junior high schools across the country and making them de fact “authorized state textbooks”. This move is precipitated by the acute crisis of Japanese imperialism that has no choice than to plunge into war of aggression in Asia under the pressure of intensifying rivalry among imperialist powers.
Let us fight against adoption of the Tsukuru-kai's textbooks in junior high schools by building up a broad mass movement with the inhabitants in Suginami Ward at its head! This is an inevitable continuation of the great education workers' struggle against the enforcement of “Kimigayo and Hinomaru” (Japanese imperialist national anthem and flag) in school ceremonies this spring.
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