Education and Nationalism

On February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine. On the same day when the world saw innocent citizens dying in this war of conquest, the public release of the film “Education and Nationalism” was released on the news. This overlap was unbelievably shocking to me. And I felt that there was some deep meaning behind this coincidence.
History textbooks that cover victims and aggressors in World War II are shown numerous times in this film. There is the Nanking Massacre, the Japanese troops’ comfort women issue, and the mass suicide at the Battle of Okinawa. Passages regarding these wartime offenses were attacked by the right wing, bankrupting one textbook company with a former editor who states, “If we don't write about the damage that Japan inflicted and only write about the damage received, then students wouldn't be learning about the war properly.” However, textbooks have been changing due to the power of politics since the 2000s. For whom are textbooks written? That is one major theme in this film.
In Japan, where freedom of expression is guaranteed, a lack of freedom is encroaching on textbooks, the main educational material used by children. It was extremely difficult to film interviews with people involved with textbook production. Many of our interview requests were denied, but that shows the gravity of the problem covered in this film. The textbook editors have said that if they take part in an interview, “My political neutrality will be called into question,” and “I don’t want the government to take notice of me.” As pressure from the government grows stronger, people are being forced into silence. Perhaps we are moving away from a democratic society.
In February 2012, Shinzo Abe, who had retired from public office, and Ichiro Matsui, the Governor of Osaka who would soon become the head of the Japan Innovation Party, were on stage for a non-government symposium on educational revitalization. They shook hands, saying they would change education with the power of politics. Afterwards, initiatives taken by politicians in Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture were passed one after another, making public education more uniform and putting a damper on teachers’ efforts to teach students. One educational goal that was given is “to cultivate talent that can come out on top in a global society.”
The Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, who wrote the textbook recommended by former Prime Minister Abe, shared that his duty is “to make proper Japanese people.” The textbook states that Emperor Meiji’s Imperial Rescript on Education before the war is the foundation of Japanese morals. When the professor was asked, “What does ‘proper’ mean?” his answer was unexpected. The divisive words he laid down could be related to global affairs.
Just as government authorities scream out “Nationalism,” that nationalism becomes intertwined with exclusionism that rejects other countries. Misinformation regarding neighboring countries grows rampant, and the hate business market expands, overflowing with baseless slanders like “anti-Japanese teachers” and “anti-Japanese scholars”. Calling something “anti-Japanese” and rejecting has grown. Self-regulation has grown in a society where political aggression and intimidation are becoming commonplace, and textbooks are being rewritten due to heavy pressure that continues to grow.
The Russian government continues to claim that the war is “a special military operation,” and the Japanese government rewords “forced recruitment” to “drafting” and “mobilization.” What is the difference? The universal value of education has nothing to do with ideology. What kind of society will be passed down to our future children? Where is this country headed? This film was produced with hopes of peace for all Asian countries and a sense of impending danger.