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2歩前進、1歩後退
文部科学省で教育基本法の見直しが進められている。若者の愛国心にもっと重点が
置かれることになりそうな風向きだが…。
Two steps forward, one step back
Japanese government officials are worried about young people. What are they doing about the stalled economy, rising unemployment and record-breaking corporate, political and bureaucratic corruption? Not much. But politicians and bureaucrats want young people to be more patriotic, more ethical, they want them to cherish family values and have more respect for tradition. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
The worried officials belong to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. They should give some thought to shortening their ministry's name. Perhaps M.E.S.S. would be better.
However, what they want to do is revise the 1947 Fundamental Law on Education, which stressed individualism, decentralization of education and peace. It replaced prewar edicts like the Imperial Rescript on Education (1890) that advised Japanese to practice filial piety (now called family values),be loyal to the emperor (now hidden in respect for tradition) and offer themselves courageously to the State (now known as patriotism).
So who are all these unpatriotic young Japanese?
Are the Self-Defense Forces having trouble finding recruits? Not really. Is there any shortage of flag-waving Japanese at the Olympics or the World Cup Games? Hardly.
Maybe they are referring to athletes like Hideo Nomo and Hidetoshi Nakata. At the time they left to play abroad, the press and others attacked them for being selfish, greedy and unpatriotic.
But nothing succeeds like success. Nomo and Nakata have joined a host of other athletes, artists, NGO workers and business people. They have served their country wonderfully by leaving it. They have put attractive, energetic human faces on Japan's international image. Sony and Toyota make great products, but almost no individual Japanese person, with the possible exception of Yoko Ono, has been as widely known abroad.
They may be the exceptions. Who are the ordinary unpatriotic young Japanese? Are they the ones who don't have racially correct black hair? Maybe young Japanese men with blond hair and earrings won't make good soldiers. Perhaps the folks at M.E.S.S. have been too busy reading their own censored history texts. They may have missed the part where patriotism caused the deaths of tens of millions of people last century.
And who are the ordinary Japanese with no respect for family values and traditions?
Are they the "selfish" young women who sue their companies over sexual discrimination? Or the ones who refuse to have lots of babies, or put up with abusive marriages, or silently endure sexual harassment?
The revised law really represents the principle of "two steps forward, one step back." Japanese young people are suffering from too much Western-style freedom and individualism, and they have to be cured.
I must admit that sometimes I agree with M.E.S.S. A couple of years ago, at nation-wide ceremonies on Coming-of-Age Day, there were young people in the audience who were smoking, getting drunk and shouting. But it's hard to criticize them too much. After all, for these former kids, it was their first chance to act like adults.
Shukan ST: Jan. 3, 2003
(C) All rights reserved
- stalled
- 行き詰まった
- rising unemployment
- 高まる失業率
- record-breaking
- 記録破りの
- bureaucratic
- 官僚の
- corruption
- 腐敗
- patriotic
- 愛国心のある
- ethical
- 倫理的な
- cherish 〜
- 〜を大事にする
- Talk about 〜
- 〜とはまさにこのことだ
- the pot calling the kettle black
- 自分のことを棚に上げて人を責める(ことわざ)
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- 文部科学省
- M.E.S.S.
- 「混乱」という意味になる(正式な略称は MEXT)
- revise
- 修正する
- Fundamental Law on Education
- 教育基本法
- individualism
- 個人主義
- decentralization
- 地方分権
- prewar edicts
- 戦前の勅令
- Imperial Rescript on Education
- 教育勅語
- filial piety
- 孝行
- be loyal to the emperor
- 天皇に忠実であること
- courageously
- 勇敢に
- Self-Defense Forces
- 自衛隊
- recruits
- 入隊者
- shortage
- 不足
- flag-waving
- 愛国心を誇示する
- Hardly.
- そんなことはない
- are referring to 〜
- 〜のことを言っている
- athletes
- スポーツ選手
- press
- マスコミ
- greedy
- 金銭欲の強い
- nothing succeeds like success
- 成功は続いてやってくる
- a host of 〜
- 大勢の〜
- NGO(=nongovernmental organization)
- 非政府組織
- by leaving it
- 国を出ることによって
- with the possible exception of 〜
- 多分 〜 を例外として
- racially correct
- 人種的に正しい
- soldiers
- 兵士
- folks
- 人々
- censored
- 検閲を受けた
- sue
- 訴える
- sexual discrimination
- 性差別
- refuse
- 拒否する
- put up with abusive marriages
- 結婚生活で虐待に耐える
- sexual harassment
- セクハラ
- principle
- 原則
- be cured
- 治される
- nation-wide ceremonies on Coming-of-Age Day
- 全国で祝われる成人の日の行事
- audience
- 聴衆