![]() At the very least, this controversy in Japan should raise a related question for Americans: Why aren't there more debates in this country over textbook content? Why don't American teachers-and their students-look more deeply into the authorization process that American publishing companies and state and local adoption agencies follow here at home? Background on the Japan Textbook Controversies If so, then we Americans can learn from the controversy over textbooks in Japan. More than one American scholar has suggested that Japan is a mirror for Americans. our students believe absolutely what they read in textbooks."(3) As far as the effects on students go, the difference is not great. In the United States today the problem is not the government but textbook publishers. In.Japan it is the government that influences the content of textbooks. Minear, Japanese historian, answers the question this way: "As a practicing historian, I encounter at every turn the power textbooks exercise over my students' minds. Because textbooks are carried into neighborhood schools and homes, and because, directly or indirectly, they carry the imprimatur of the state, they have enormous authority."(2) Richard H. ![]() The controversy surrounding the adoption of middle school history textbooks in Japan raises the question, Why are textbooks-history textbooks in particular-important enough to fight over? Historians Laura Hein and Mark Selden tell us that "history and civics textbooks in most societies present an 'official' story highlighting narratives that shape contemporary patriotism" "people fight over textbook content because education is so obviously about the future, reaches so deeply into society, and is directed by the state. Ienaga Saburo, Court testimony, 1969.(1) The Importance of History Textbooks in Japan and the United States Textbooks with individuality are multi-dimensional they are pluralistic a pluralism must permeate them that allows teachers in the classroom to select what is most suitable for their own use. The Importance of History Textbooks in Japan and the United Statesīackground on the Japan Textbook Controversies
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