Images in textbooks

[Aaron Gerow]

This is not really an issue involving moving images, but this is the 
season when the Ministry of Education releases the results of its 
textbook accreditations.  This year featured efforts to create subjects 
"familiar" to students, and thus several textbooks had sections 
discussing manga and Japanese animation.

In a disturbing trend, however, the Ministry evaluation of "shakai" 
textbooks (something like social studies or contemporary society) have 
effectively forced publishers to publish photos of the emperor.  Of the 
six texts submitted, two did not feature photos and they were told to 
print them.  While the Ministry says it has no policy on whether or not 
textbooks need to present images of the emperor, the fact that the 
Ministry has publicly stated the need for textbooks that increase 
"knowledge and respect for the emperor," publishers interviewed have 
taken this to mean a tacit rule about publishing the emperor's image.  
This Ministerial policy was matched this year with a stipulation that 
textbooks designate that the Rising Sun is the national flag and that 
Kimi ga yo is the national anthem--even though no law exists saying they 
are.  Given that the current Diet will probably pass that law with no 
problem, many are seeing this as part of a disturbing trend towards 
renewed Japanese nationalism.

Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
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