Majority of the population learn about the history of their respective countries through books, journals, documentaries, etc. These sources of information have so far been important in shaping and molding young citizens into patriotic adults. These sources also illustrate the relationships between the current state of affairs and past events. For example, a source of information may attribute the rapid development and industrialization of Japan to the Second World War. Such a connection may prompt one to deduce that the effects of the Second World War continue to be felt to date, yet the majority of the global population was not around during that time. Although these sources provide insightful historical information, some may exhibit some form of bias because they sometimes fail to mention or report some events or the way they unfolded, especially if those events were immoral. Two authors, Koide Reiko and Mark Selden, have delved into the matter concerning preclusion of historical information in textbooks regarding Japan and its involvement in the Second World War
Brief Overview of Each Source
Koide Reiko (2014)
Reiko focuses on the history and civic textbook controversy in the Japanese educational system. He focuses on how the textbooks used in private and public schools undergo through eligibility tests. All textbooks published by the private organization must pass through the screening process then endorsed by the Ministry of education for them to be used in schools. The author points out, on several occasions, how the Japanese government took advantage of the screening process to eliminate textbooks that touched on ‘sensitive’ issues of the World War II (Koide, 2014). One of the most sensitive issues pertain the use of comfort women by the soldiers. The author points out that restriction to the printing of textbooks dates back to 1955. Mr. Ienaga Saburo, a historian, was one of the victims of publishing restriction. The ministry of education demanded that Mr. Saburo revises his work following certain set guidelines. This move prompted him to file a court case against the ministry. For long, the textbooks revision affected the elementary and the middle school only. By 2012, the screening process overflowed to the high school education system ( Koide, 2014) . By the year 2013, politicians (of the ruling party LDP) bestowed upon themselves the responsibility of determining school curricula, particularly in history and civics (Koide, 2014). Historian and educator lost their place in formulating school curricula.
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Mark Selden (2005)
Selden focuses on how textbooks, especially in the United States, recount and analyze the bombing of the two Japanese cities that ended World War II. He observes that majority of those textbooks are filled with nationalism, and therefore, have biased analyses of the aftermath of the war. He further noted that while most of the photographs of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing usually portray the mushroom cloud, they hardly feature human faces ( Selden, 2005) . He points out that some of the textbooks fail to mention the entry of Soviet Union into Japanese-invaded Manchuria, Korea. Selden also mentions that few textbooks touch on Japanese and Japanese internment.
Both authors provide compelling arguments regarding information (or lack thereof) in History textbook. It is clear that the information in Japanese history textbooks on World War II is influenced by the government while their American counterpart is influenced by nationalistic myopia on the side of the authors. Although both authors put forth compelling arguments, Mark Selden provide a superior perspective on the issues he’s addressing. Selden analyzes the lack of complete and balanced information regarding the atomic bomb attack on Japan and its consequences. His main sources are composed entirely of textbooks. Keido’s sources consist of media material, journals, and textbooks. His argument contains some form of bias. Throughout his article, he focuses on the negatives of the textbook controversy. Selden’s argument exhibits some form of balance because he mentions those textbooks that offer complete analyses and those that offer one-sided analyses. Additionally, Selden’s points out the reason for incomplete or lack of information in textbooks, which is that many authors are blinded by nationalistic myopia, while Keido’s fails to do so. The only similarity between these two authors is that they are addressing the causes of lack of completeness in historical textbooks. One assumption that both authors make is that their sources were written objectively. It is possible that it might not have been the case. Selden might be wrong when he concludes that nationalist myopia is to blame for biased analyses. Probably, the analyses were done intentionally with the aim of attaining enormous sales.
While the two authors cover the same topic, they display different urgencies. Keido Reiko addresses the textbook controversy in Japan with greater urgency. The bulk of his argument features the atrocities that befell on historians, educators, and publishers. He shines more light on the ‘underhand’ method the government used, through educational boards and commissions, to turn things in their favor. Selden approaches the topic rather subtly. His argument displays less urgency in approaching the topic. For example, he argues that the Russian entry into Manchuria may have played a part in forcing the Japanese military to surrender (Selden, 2005). In this argument, Selden is trying to show how biased textbooks are in revealing all the influential forces that participated in ending the war. Since he is trying to prove biases in textbooks, Selden approach is portrayed as showing less urgency compared to Keido, who is addressing continued atrocities.
The two authors have reshaped my understanding of Japanese, Americans, and Russians involvement in the World War II and how the war ended. Selden’s article has revealed that many American authors, fuelled by nationalism, view the atomic bombing as an act of national redemption and a statement of American greatness to the world. They fail to address the issues that the Japanese citizen went through once the war ended. Keido’s article has revealed that the Japanese government continues to deny historian, publishers, and educator the autonomy in history and civics curriculum formulation. The politicians determine what is necessary for the curriculum and the contents of historical books that are to be used in schools.
References
Koide, R. (2014). Critical New Stage in Japan's Textbook Controversy: The Asia-Pacific Journal Japan Focus , 12 , 13.
Selden, M. (2005). Remembering ‘The Good War': The Atomic Bombing and the Internment of Japanese-Americans in US History Textbooks: The Asia-Pacific Journal , 3 (5).
