From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.china,soc.culture.korean
Subject: Re: Textbook Censorhip (Was: [LONG] Textbook Inspection)
Date: 20 Aug 92 06:50:02 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <jwb.714271276@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au> jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au (Jim Breen) writes:
>
>Frankly, I find this absolutely fascinating. In many ways there could not be 
>a more stark difference between Japanese society and that of Western liberal 
>democracies than this one. I can't comment first-hand on what happens in 
>other countries, but here the very thought of a Ministry inspecting textbooks 
>and ordering changes would be anathema to people right across the political 
>spectrum. It would (rightly) smack of social engineering and thought-policing
>of the worst kind.
>
>Why do the Japanese people let it happen? Do they really *like* having their
>beaurocrats censor the books their children read?
>
>Comments please, especially from Japanese nationals.
>
>-- 
>Jim Breen                           JIS:$B%8%`!!%V%j!<%s(J
>Department of Robotics & Digital Technology. Monash University. 
>PO Box 197 Caulfield East VIC 3145 Australia (ph) +61 3 573 2552 
>(fax) +61 3 573 2345  AARNet/Internet:jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au  

	THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ARE MY OWN AND PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THEM
	AS TYPICAL VIEW OF MOST (IF NOT ALL) JAPANESE.
							T.N.

	I personally don't like it, and probably each member of the inspectors
	does not like it either.

	Then, why do they do this?

	Two reasons I can think of.

	1)	inspecting officials do not want the one that makes any change

		Among our bureaucrats, there is what we call "koto nakare 
		shugi" (peace-at-any-price policy  :quoted from New Concise
		Japanese English Dictionary; Sanseido) or prudentialism.
		When they have to decide  whether to make ANY change, they will
		refer back to the records to see if there was any similar 
		example in the past.  If there is one, they may decide on making		the change.  If not, they may and most likely will hesitate to 
		make the change saying, "there has been no such examples in the
		past."  They just don't want to be the one that make the
		change.	
		
		"deru kui/kugi wa utareru" (protruding pile/nail will be 
		hammered down)


	2)	the Japanese have usually been obeidient, or at least following
		what the government of the time has told them to do.

		Especially since the Samurai era (I would say after 1400s), 
		the governments were usually called "okami" or "up/upper 
		(people)" until recently (actually, there are quite a few people		 still refer the government in that way colloquially).
		Even if the people do not like the government has told them, 
		they most likely remain silent since in the past those who 
		were against the government of the time were punished severly.
		Most goverments have taken advantage of this to reinforce their
		policy, and I think, they still do the same thing to the people
		except any physical punishment.

		In the case of publishers of history text books, if they do not
		accept "advice" from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry 
		would advise schools not to adopt the unacceptable text books.
		Yes.  Instead of physical punishment, the publishers would be
		socially and indirectly punished for opposing the advice.


	Sorry, this is imprinted-in-a-long-period-of-time nature of our people,
	I think.  I have heard many people say that they don't like this either.	But so far, nothing special seems to have happened YET.

	We can, of course, talk about and even speak ill of the policies of 
	the government openly and publicly, and police will NEVER come to 
	get us for that.  TV and other news media DO criticise the government
	often.  But nothing special seems to have happened....

	I don't like to say this but they would make changes IF a president of 
	some country told them "Change it!"    :-<  I don't like the idea, 
	either.


					Tetsuya Nishimura
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