Japanese Education Minister: Don’t Respect Human Rights Too Much
February 27th, 2007 by MarkReading the Taipei Times today, I came across an article that highlights yet another aspect in which Japan is returning to its nationalistic roots– education. The education minister, Ibuki Bunmei (伊吹文明), is a reactionary. In various speeches, he has stated that most young Japanese are incapable of writing or speaking well and that they need to “learn the rules of society” in elementary school before spending time on foreign languages. Fair enough. Now, though, he’s pushing into more disturbing territory:
“Human rights are important, but if they are respected too much then Japanese society will have human rights metabolic syndrome,” he said.
Ministry and LDP officials said they did not have a transcript of the remarks.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made education reform a top priority, last year pushing through a law that requires schools to teach “patriotism” — a taboo since World War II — when students were taught to revere the emperor. His government is also considering bringing back corporal punishment and adding classroom hours.
Taipei Times: Japanese Education minister slams individualism in schools
Considering the recent textbook revisions in Taiwan, which focus on patriotism, and the disturbing number of parents who still hit or their children here, I can’t say this sort of thinking is entirely alien to Taiwan. I sure hope we don’t get an educational minister of Ibuki’s mold, for this element to rally behind.
The Economist (via ecocn.org): Japanese Education: the wrong answer
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February 27th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Wow, that is quite a statement.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
For most of the post-World War II era, Japan was the only country in East Asia that could truly be called a democracy. Until comparatively recently, only the Japanese enjoyed free speech and a free press. But instead of being proud of this fact, the right-wing in Japan has always resented what they felt were American-imposed values. Now it looks like they’re trying to do something about that. So instead of tackling the problem of bullying and student suicides, they choose to focus on “patriotism” and so-called Japanese values. But wasn’t it these values that led to the disaster that was the Second World War in the first place, and the American Occupation?
I see too in the same speech Ibuki referred to Japan as being “extremely homogeneous”, something that Abe seems to have no problem with http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070227a9.html. The Ainu and Zainichi Koreans no doubt will differ with Ibuki on this topic.
As for Taiwan, one shudders to think what kind of education reforms will be put in place if the KMT wins the presidency next year.