Links for Countering Anti-Japanese Hate Speech about History Textbooks

This is the page to refute anti-Japanese propaganda, historical revisionism, and historical denialism: the cause that Japanese history textbooks don't mention our undesired history. We discuss related issues on Japanese Education / 日本の教育 @ Le Salon d'Emmanuel Chanel. See also How to Research What Japanese Schools Teach.

A significant number of people say that Japanese historical education denies undesired history. They throw that word to us, Japanese people who refute Comfort Women, Nanjing Massacre, the wars of aggression. But they don't know anything that Japanese education system teaches actually. And they don't try to know. So it's no problem to take such words for hate speech!

Counter-Examples: the War Crimes that Japanese History Textbooks have mentioned

The Lingchi Propaganda Wall Painting shown as the Critics of Japanese Atrocities

The Japanese name of the Lingchi propaganda wall painting is 乳房切り残虐壁画(Breast-Cutting Atrocities Wall Painting). On the net, the picture is shown also on https://motosuke.net/jhistd/jhist1_1_3_1.htm (Its old page / Its Internet Archive)

That picture was shown on "小学社会 6年上"(大阪書籍), a grade 6 society textbook used from 1996 to 1999 and "中学生の社会科 日本の歩みと世界（歴史）"(日本文教出版), a middle school history textbook used from 1997 to 1999.(shown above)

And that fact appears the problem by these reasons:

1. The uniform of the Japanese soldier is not actual one.
2. The hidden part of the original photography shows its signature by Guangxi Student Army(広西学生軍) from South China even though the photo is taken in North China.
3. Lingchi is not a Japanese style of atrocities but a Chinese style of executions. So not knowing Lingchi, Japanese essayists explain it as cutting breasts.

It's criticized in "自虐史観の病理"("An Analysis of Masochistic Historical Views in Japan"), SAPIO, Shogakukan's opinion magazine, and so on by Prof. Nobukatsu Fujioka, Motohiko Izawa, and so on.

Even if that wall painting were shown only on two textbooks in those periods, it's kept after the textbook screening on them. That fact refutes the concept that our screening system filters our undesired historical truth. So this is a significant case. And the fact that the forcible taking of Comfort Women discussed below were mentioned in the past middle school history textbooks and that Nanjing Massacre is still mentioned on them demonstrate that the historical denialists are those who delete such facts from Japanese education history. In addition, the rule that the screening filters the cause not scientifically accepted as historical facts shows this: the concept that Japanese history books dumped our undesired history is just a racial insult and historical denialism.

Prof. Nobukatsu Fujioka showed the propaganda wall painting to the world's media. You cannot excuse the historical denialism by your ignorance or the words like "Not reported by media".

Libraries where you can check those original textbooks

I found them on the net. Possibly, some other libraries have. The start of the research with CiNii 図書 - 小学社会 and with CiNii 図書 - 中学生の社会科 : 歴史 : 日本の歩みと世界 would be good to find the libraries. But there is the case that the library of Utsunomiya University showed the list of their textbooks(Dead link. Internet Archive) out of OPAC.

Hokkaido University of Education / Hokkaido University / Miyagi University of Education▲ / Utsunomiya University / University of Tsukuba△ / Tokyo Gakugei University / Japan Textbook Research Center's Library / Tosho Bunko Library(no copy allowed) / Aichi University of Education▲ / Nagoya University△ / Gifu Prefectural General Education Center(Library, Source) / University of Fukui / Shiga University▲ / Nara University of Education▲ / Kyoto University of Education / Osaka Kyoiku University / Osaka Prefectual Education Center(no copy allowed) / Tezukayama University△ / Kobe University(Library for Human Development Sciencesx) /Hyogo University of Teacher Education / Hiroshima University▲ / Shimonoseki City University△ / Naruto University of Education Library / Kagawa University / Ehime University / University of Teacher Education Fukuoka / Kyushu University▲ / University of Nagasaki△ / Kagoshima University /

▲ I found only "小学社会 6年上"(大阪書籍) is there. | △ I found only "中学生の社会科 日本の歩みと世界（歴史）"(日本文教出版) is there.

Nanjing Massacre = Rape of Nanking = Nanjing Incident.

From 各社の教科書を読む　歴史編４． 虚構の「南京事件」が消えた自由社教科書(the title's translation: Reading All the Textbooks of All Publishers: History 4. Our Jiyusha's Textbook where Fabricated "Nanjing Incident" disappears.)

「南京事件」(南京大虐殺)が教科書に初めて記述されたのは昭和５０(１９７５)年のこと。２社が高校日本史教科書に記述したのが最初である。

「南京事件」が教科書に初めて登場してから４０年。南京事件を全く書かない歴史教科書が“復活”した。

教科書改善の旗印の下、「新しい歴史教科書をつくる会」は過去４度、「南京事件はなかった」との立場で教科書検定に挑み、「なかった」との主張があることを記述してきたが、文科省は一貫して「南京事件はあった」との立場であり、検定段階で「あった」と読めるような記述への書きなおしを余儀なくされてきた。

今回、「つくる会」は従来の方針を転換し、自由社は南京事件について一切書かず、この度の文科省の検定に合格した。「南京事件」は学習指導要領で定められた記載が必須とされている事項ではないため、書いていないものを書けとは文科省も言うことができない。自由社が「南京事件」を書かなかったことで画期的な歴史教科書が誕生した。

自由社以外の７社は従来どおり「南京事件」を記述している。その７社も「南京大虐殺」、「国際法に反して」などの用語を用いて日本の加害をことさら強調して記す<清水書院・東京書籍・学び舎>と表現を若干穏当にした<育鵬社・教育出版・帝国書院・日本文教出版>に２分類できるが、いずれにしろ「犠牲者数はともかく事件はあった」との立場であることに差異はない。

Translation:

"Nanjing Incident"(Nanjing Massacre) was first written in textbooks in 1975. The mentions of 2 senior high school textbooks for Japanese history are the first.

The history textbook without any of Nanjing Incident returns 40 years after "Nanjing Incident" started to appear in the textbooks.

Under the flag of improvement of the textbooks, 'Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform' chanllenged the textbook screening from the position that the Nanjing Massacre is false. And we wrote that there are cause of 'it's false'. But MEXT's position continues their position as 'It happened'. And we were forced to fix that part to 'It happaned' under screening.

This time, we, "Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform" converted our past policy. We, Jiyusha didn't mention anything of Nanjing Incident and passed MEXT's screening this time. "Nanjing Incident" is not the item that the Government's Course Guide Line require. So MEXT cannot force us mention when we don't do. By not writing "Nanjing Incident", our epoch-making history textbook has come.

7 other publishers continue to mention "Nanjing Incident" They can be categorized into 2: One is <Shimizu Shoin, Tokyo Shoseki, and Manabisha> who emphasize it as crimes strongly. And another is <Ikuho-sha, Kyoiku Shuppan, Teikoku Shoin, Nippon Bunkyo Shuppan> who made the mentions proper. But they have same position in the sense that their position is "The number is discussed but Nanjing Incident happens".

In that situation, the middle school history textbook of Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform(Jiyusha) has become only textbook that doesn't mention Nanjing Massacre. I've really checked the sample edition of all the history textbooks used from 2016 in an education office. And other textbooks including grade 6 social studies textbooks mention. By those facts, when they mention Nanjing Massacre in textbooks, the MEXT's screening process filters the case that refutes Nanjing Massacre. On Comparison of Social Studies Textbooks(Civil Studies and History) by Jiminto's Political Investigation Group's Education and Science comittee, you can know also how the middle school history textbooks screened in 2010 mention Nanjing Massacre.

In addition, ejcjs - The Nanjing Incident: Recent Research and Trends, the explanation of Japanese discussions and its referred Japanese books of Great Massacre School proves that the argument of Nanjing Massacre is out of Japanese government's censorship.(The censorship itself doesn't exist.) If we take the screening system for perfect and our textbooks for absolute, rather it's impossible that so-called Nanjing Massacre denial is strong theory among Japanese opinions web.

Comfort Women

Memorandom on the Question about the Issue that Textbooks Carry "Comfort Women" Problem (by Sanae Takaichi) mentions the fact that middle school history textbooks used from 1997 mention Comfort Women.(There's also Memorandom on the Re-Question about the Issue that Textbooks Carry "Comfort Women" Problem, submitted on 21 Nov. 1997. Question No. 13.)

　本年度より使用されている中学校社会科・歴史の教科書に、第二次世界大戦下における日本軍の「慰安婦」に関連する記述がある。これらの記述と義務教育諸学校教科用図書検定基準（平成元年四月四日・文部省告示第四十三号）との整合性につき、以下の事項について質問する。
(中略)
二　「第三章　各教科固有の条件〔社会科（「地図」を除く。）〕」について
　「二　選択・扱い及び組織・分量」において、「（四）未確定な時事的事象について断定的に記述しているところはないこと。」とされている。
　　日本書籍　「慰安婦として従軍させ」（二六四ページ）
　　東京書籍　「従軍慰安婦として強制的に戦場に送りだされた若い女性も多数いた」（二六三ページ）
　　大阪書籍　「朝鮮などの若い女性たちを慰安婦として戦場に連行しています」（二六〇～二六一ページ）
　　教育出版　「多くの朝鮮人女性なども、従軍慰安婦として戦地に送り出された」（二六一ページ）
　　清水書院　「朝鮮や台湾などの女性のなかには戦地の慰安施設で働かされた者もあった」（二五九ページ）
　　日本文教出版　「慰安婦として戦場の軍に随行させられた女性もいた」（二五二ページ）
　右各社の記述（傍線部）は「未確定な時事的事象について断定的に記述」したものとして明らかに不適と考えるが、政府の見解を問う。

The underlined parts of each middle school history textbooks say that Comfort Women were forcibly taken prostitutes to the fronts. And Rep. Sanae Takaichi accuse it of the declarative discription of uncertain epical things.

You can see that the middle school history textbooks used from 1997 said that Comfort Women were sex slaves. And Japanese Socierty for History Textbook Reform | Investigation of the textbooks of all the publishers about "Forcible Taking" and "Comfort Women"(in Sept. 2014) shows that a number of senior high school history textbooks say that Comfort Women were forcibly taken.

If you want to say that Comfort Women were sex slaves, why can this Korean Supreme Court Rule in 1966 exist?

Comparison of History Textbooks

Divided Memories: History Textbooks and the Wars in Asia by Daniel Sneider

The essay by the researcher of Stanford University. It concluded that Japanese history textbooks are far from inculcating patriotism.

Comparison of Social Studies Textbooks(Civil Studies and History)(by Jiminto's Political Investigation Group's Education and Science comittee. Archive)

The PDF document uploaded on Representative Kousuke Yoshiie OFFICIAL WEB SITE. It shows the critics and comparison of screened textbooks of civil studies and of history, used from 2011 to 2015. It mentions that their mention of Nanjing Massacre.

The basic knowledge of Japanese textbook system

Japan’s History Textbook System: Creation, Screening, and Selection explains the textbook system. The leftists criticize screening system as the censorship of history textbooks. But the stupid hate speekers interpret it as the censorship of all the history books. (There would be also the contrary cases that some mistake the screening system for one only on history textbooks.)

Ministory of Education, Science, Culture, and Technology

You need to check the corner of Textbooks. It shows the reults of the screening.

The Current Government Course Guideline; Power for Living: MEXT

That's the rule standardize the curriiculum of primary schools, middle schools, senior high schools. And you need to see it for checking where the screened textbooks mention what things. And the rule shows that for checking history education, you cannot check all without seeing social studies textbooks for grade 6 and middle school history textoboks, and senior high school textbooks of the world history and of Japanese history.

12. System of Providing School Textbooks for Compulsory Education by Free of Charge: MEXT

The source that the government buy the screened textbooks to each pupils.(See: 意外と知らない“日本の教科書制度”(1) - 学びの場.com)

学びの場.com - Education Network for Improvement of Schools and Classes

Free education information website for teachers by Uchida Youkou's Education General Institutie.

Gaccom School Education Information Website

The services showing information of everything of education including what screened textbooks are chosen.

How to Check Which Textbooks Are Chosen.

There are a number of people throwing this kind of stereotypical hate speech by working as English teachers of private English classes, or as Assistant Language Teachers, without checking the original textbooks, without knowing where to check, without speaking Japanese. There are even the cases that they marry Japanese and their children go to Japanese schools. e.g. An ALT in Tanabe City copied stereotypical false accusation against Japanese education system.. So I put the link to tell how to check which textboooks are chosen in their area or their schools.

Japan Textbook Distributer Association

The screened textbooks are delivered to schools via the bookstores through the textbook distributers and book distributers. You can see the list of the distributers on About buying and selling textbooks, linked from Publish and Supply: MEXT(Currently, you can see the list on Association Profile#Contacts for Buying and Selling Textbooks). Those distributers release which textbooks are chosen in their area. And it's the first class sources of the public authority.(The chosen textbooks for Japanese schools overseas are common and its list is on Japan Overseas Educational Services Free Providing of Japanese Textbooks.) If you want the screened textbooks to check, you can buy them from the bookstores shown on the distributer's website or from the internet sales website of Hiroshima Prefecture's Textbook Distribution.

List of Chosen Textbooks | Education Support | Chuo Kyoiku Kenkyusho KK

Chuo Kyoiku Kenkyusho KK releases the PDF of which textbooks are selected in Japan.(From School Year 2017. Before then, the PDFs are the selection in West Japan.) It's very convenient since it shows the special measures of transitions and changing of the selections. You can see very old information via Internet Archive

Gaccom School Education Information Website

The services showing information of everything of education including what screened textbooks are chosen.

The Textbooks Publishers(Social Studies)

The textbook publishers releases various net documentations for teachers and for usual people. So we can get some information.

Tokyo Shoseki

It's the biggest textbooks publisher in Japan. The shares of social studies textbooks for primary schools and for middle schools are about 50%±10%. You cannot discuss Japanese history education, social studies education without knowing their textbooks.

Nippon Bunkyo Shuppan

It succeeds the society textbooks of Osaka Shoseki, the 2nd biggest publisher that has been bankrupt.

Kyoiku Shuppan

The most schools of Hokkaido select that publisher's.

Shimizu Shoin

It publishes Social Studies textbooks, sub-textbooks for middle schools and senior high schools.

Teikoku Shoin

It publishes these: 1) Middle school social studies textbooks for Geography, for History, and for Civil Studies. 2) senior high school textbooks for geography, for history, and for the modern society 3) Atlas for those education.

Mitsumura Tosho Shuppan

Its share of Japanese Language Textbooks is high.

Yamakawa Shuppan-sha

The top publisher of senior high school textbooks for the World History B and Japanese History B, the history lessons for gymnasiums or so on.

Manabisha

The publisher of the textbooks by "Society for History Textbooks with Studying with Children" whose leader is a former middle school teacher joining History Educationalist Conference of Japan on the friendship with Japan Communist Party. the Sankei Shimbun arctile says that it mention Comfort Women and empasis Japanese forces' damaning to Asia. The textbook screened in 2015 also mentions Comfort Women and Nanjing Massacre. It's chosen by 30 middle schools including top gymnasiums like Nada High School, Asabu High School, Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba.(Source) Anti-Japanese stupid foreigners believes Shinzo Abe's satanic power. Where is it on earth?

Ikuhosha

The publisher of the middle school history textbooks by Society for Textbooks Improvement and Fusosha's subsidary company. One flag holder of our movement of textbooks improvement. But its share is not high.

Jiyusha

The publisher of the middle school history textbooks by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform and Fusosha's subsidary company. One flag holder of our movement of textbooks improvement. But its share is not high although it releases English documents.

Libraries where you can check the textbooks

Textbooks | Reference Guide | National Diet Library shows which library keeps the old textbooks. You can check the latest textbooks in Textbook Centers, in the libraries of national universities with education schools, and so on.

Interenational Library of Children's Literature

An institution of National Diet Library. It collects primary and middle school textbooks from 2002, senior high school textbooks from 2003.

Hiroshima University Library

The library of Hiroshima University. Its education school is the biggest teacher education school of the West Japan. And its collection covers all the modern era. It has Textbooks Collection from the soon after the WW II.

Tokyo Gakugei University Library

The library of Tokyo Gagugei University. In Kanto Region, it's a national center of textbooks collection covering the past to the modern era.

Hokkaido University of Education Library

The Libraries of Hokkaido University of Education in some places. You can check the textbooks from 1950s.

Ehime University Library(Ehime University)

It's a textbook center of Ehime Prefecture. So almost all the screened textbooks after the WW II are collected, according to the source)

Fukui University Library(Fukui University)

The net reference is poor. But it has the textbooks with Lingchi Propaganda Wall Painting. Perhaps, you can find the textbooks that you can't do on the net.

Miyagi University of Education Library(Miyagi University of Education)

Aichi University of Education Library(Aichi University of Education)

Nara University of Education(Nara University of Education)

Kyoto University of Education Library(Kyoto University of Education)

Osaka Kyoiku University Library(Osaka Kyoiku University)

Hyogo University of Teacher Education Library(Hyogo University of Teacher Education)

A national education university's library. You can find the textbooks from 1950s, 1960s, or so.

University of Teacher Education Fukuoka Library(University of Teacher Education Fukuoka)

It holds textbooks from early age of Meiji to the era after WW II. In addition, they collect the world's textbooks from 1986 and it holds the textbooks from more than 30 countries.(Textbooks | Reference Guide | National Diet Library.)

Naruto University of Education Library(Naruto University of Education)

It's collected the screened textbooks from 1980s.

Utsunomiya University Library(Utsunomiya University)

It's systematically collected the screened textbooks from 1980s. You can see the list(Dead link. Internet Archive) on the source(Dead link. Internet Archive)

Tosho Bunko Library

The library that Tokyo Shoseki operate. By appoinments only. And no copy allowed.

Library＠Osaka Prefectual Education Center

It's convenient since you can check the general list by subjects about textbooks for primary schools, middle schools, and senior high schools. No copy allowed.

Gifu Prefectural General Education Center

The official PDF says that the center saves all the textbooks from 1965 or 1970s.

Japan Textbook Research Center Library

Library of Japan Textbook Research Center. You can search the list from Textbook Library OPAC Page.

National Institude for Education Policy Research Education Library

Library of National Institude for Education Policy Research.

Study in Primary Schools, Middle Schools, and Senior High Schools

Wikibooks is the open textbooks and study books project on Wikimedia Foundation operating Wikipedia. Its Japanese wiki has the project to make textbooks for primary schools, middle schools, senior high schools, by neutralizing all the screened textbooks. Such textbooks aren't used in actual classes. But it's useful to show what our public education system teach.

• 
• Tweet

[FTLS.org]