Nationalism in Japan?
Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University Japan, has written an editorial in the Japan Times reminding everyone that “Japan scores very low on nationalism.” Here is an excerpt comparing Japan to its nationalistic neighbors:
… In autocratic China, nationalism is an indirect way to oppose the ruling party. When demonstrators throw rocks at the U.S. embassy or attack Japanese diplomats, they are also criticizing their rulers for being weak-kneed. Moreover, simply by marching through the streets, or gathering virtually on the Internet, they demonstrate to the Communist Party that the people can mobilize on their own.
Though South Korea is now a liberal democracy, many of its leftwing nationalists came of age when anti-American (or anti-Japanese) nationalism was fused with the fight against the military regime. Japan, however, has been a free society for well half a century, if its citizens are unhappy they simply go to a voting booth rather than seek alternative forms of mobilization.
Japanese society may have problems but nationalism is not one of them.
Update: For further reading, check out the response to this editorial over at Observing Japan!
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Japan’s lack of nationalism has always surprised me. America is still rated as one of the freest countries in the world (plenty freer than Japan), but Americans are pretty damn nationalistic, in my opinion. Everyone American is always told from childhood how it’s the best country in the world, etc., etc…
Likewise, Chinese people have also been indoctrinated since childhood even with state-produced school textbooks, and nothing that could possibly criticize the government’s opinions is tolerated well. China’s nationalism is even more intense than America, 56% of Americans believe that America has a positive influence on the world; paltry compared to the 90% of Chinese that believe China has a positive influence on the world.
I always attributed much of the problematic nationalism in China to the way of thinking that, “I love my country, so I love my government. It’s MY country, and it’s MY government, so I should love them both.” This way of thinking is common with nationalistic Americans (the 11% that still approve of Bush), but most Americans tend to view countries and governments as separate. For instance, Nobody likes Russia’s government, but I’ve never met someone racist against Russians; American culture puts a stark contrast between country and government, allowing one to love their country while at the same time disliking their government. This is a much less-damaging nationalism, I think.
In any case, it’s certainly interesting that Japan has such low nationalism. There isn’t a lack of people insistent that Japan is the best country in the world, and those that refuse to believe that the perfect Japanese race could do any harm to anyone in World War II, and all of the war crimes are vicious lies created by Koreans and Japanese. These sorts of notions can be heard all the time, most especially by politicians, and the Ministry of Education OFTEN puts propagandized or even outright lies in their state-sponsored textbooks that classrooms across Japan must use. Despite all of this, I’ve been in Japan for a year, and I see the American flag much, much, much more often than the Japanese flag. In fact, it’s quite unusual to see the Japanese flag outside of the infamous black nationalism vans.
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A correction: the MOE does not “put” anything into school textbooks, nor are public school texts “state sponsored”. The MOE approves texts for use, and can request corrections be made if the text presented for their approval deviates from facts. However, they have no control over editorial bent – the law specifically prohibits that. True, the MOE lays out guidelines as to topics they want covered, as in the current working guidelines that caused the Takeshima problem to flare up, but even then the MOE cannot dictate “you must say this, using this wording”.
This is why that controversial “right wing” textbook of a few years ago was approved – the MOE had no choice but to approve it (after sending it back for correction of some factual issues). It met the guidelines, and was submitted for approval. Regardless of what some may think of the political bent of the publisher, the MOE is powerless to reject a text based on opinion or political bias. That would be a violation of the Constitutional guarantee of free speech (a concept doubtless lost on the Chinese, for example, where the government does write or effectively write the textbooks). In any event, the book was a long way from what most would consider “right wing”, it admitted Japan started the war, admitted atrocities were committed in Nanjing, and a whole lot more. It was hardly what I would call a “whitewash”, unless you consider anything that questions China’s overstated claims “whitewashing”.
Classrooms across Japan must choose texts from the MOE list. True. However, there are multiple texts, with multiple interpretations of events, on that list. I have been party to choosing texts with the Japanese teachers from the English department of public jr. high schools (the other departments chose texts in exactly the same way). The teachers collect several texts from the list for (for example) 1st year jr. high English, look them over and decide which one they want to use. Now, while it is hardly a factor when choosing an English text, it is worth noting that public school teachers tend to be very liberal in their beliefs. Teacher’s unions are some of the Japan Communist Party’s and Social Democratic Party’s biggest donors. For the most part, they aren’t going to pick a right-wing text. As I recall, the controversial text I mentioned above was actually chosen by exactly one public school, and was also introduced into schools for the mentally handicapped in Tokyo, as they came under the direct control of the governor, and we all know his leanings.
I have read public school history texts. They covered Japan’s war of aggression, the Rape of Nanjing, the comfort women issue, Unit 731 and more. In depth? No, but then again when one text for one year has to cover everything from the Jomon era to the Heisei era, it is a little difficult to cover much of anything in depth.
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When I was in school, we were often taught about the mistakes that america has made in the past( My Lai, slavery, etc). I was wondering if the asian nations did the same. Like, does china teach about teienamen square? or does japan teach about the korean incident in 1920s? etc
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Wow. Screwed that post up! Let’s try again:
“Like, does china teach about teienamen square?”
Teach what? Nothing happened at Tiananmen. It’s like Fight Club: “The First Rule of Tiananmen is don’t talk about Tiananmen!”
“or does japan teach about the korean incident in 1920s?”
You mean after the Tokyo quake? Yes, they do. And more.
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Seriously, would you tell me what you had in mind when you said “the Korean incident in 1920s”?
A lot of propaganda was distributed by Korean Government like “use of Korean language was prohibited during colonization period” (truth is there was no such prohibition. Actually, Japanese government issued Korean language newspaper everyday), “Koreans were forced to change their names to Japanese style names” (truth is if a Korean did not file name change, he could keep his name. No penalty for not changing.)
Would you tell me what “the korean incident in 1920s” is?
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Perhaps you should visit the Edo Museum in Tokyo, where there is (or at least was when I visited it a couple of years ago) a short, but candid, account of the massacre of (mostly) Koreans by Japanese vigilantes in the aftermath of the 1923 earthquake.
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taiko666:
Oh? Was menrui talking about killing of Koreans after 1923 earthquake?
How can you tell? He/She did not mention anything about the earthquake, but vaguely “the korean incident in 1920s”.
There were a lot of incidents that involved Koreans in the 1920s. Would you tell me how you concluded menrui was talking about no other incident but the killing after the earthquake in 1923?
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my bad
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This is a really interesting article from Temple University, which I had given thought to attend for a time. The whole must be read to entirely understand the author’s point. Dujarric’s final concluding statement may appear non sequitur at first, but the reader has to consider the context in which he wields the word “issue.” Admittedly, before diving into this article, I had inferred that the article was stating that [the issue] of nationalism (in Japan’s lacking of it) was not an issue. Instead, Dujarric lays down a brief overview of the origins of nationalism citing examples in and outside of eastern Asia. And on the points he presents, he’s right. The foundations and domestic factors that are influencing the more nationalist China and Korea simply are not (as) present in Japan.
In this way, it seems that the existence of societal problems can indirectly breed nationalism. In fact, some of the top ranking countries for low nationalism are also considered high ranking in standard of living. So perhaps the lack of nationalism is in fact an indication of a more at-peace society. Fascinating.
@Brian:
I have noticed many of the things you’ve mentioned, and I think you’re on track with your observations. There is most definitely racism against Russians, (see: Finland) just not anywhere that the majority of people care about. About America’s contrast of country and government resulting in a non-damaging nationalism, I can see that. However, I think that the religion-government relationship plays a bigger role. There is a large percentage of American citizens who base their votes and political participation solely on the basis of their religious beliefs, thus deriving their sense of nationalism from this same basis. Without going into a sea of discussion, I think this can be a damaging type of nationalism for America.
Also, thank you for sharing that extended textbook information. I was not aware of the selection process, or the more detailed information of what happened with the right-wing text. If another Japan Probe article sparks your interest again, please submit and share your thoughts. Other readers and I would surely appreciate it.
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We lost the War.
We got the shit kicked out of us.
We experienced the Horrors of Nuclear Bombs.
We moved on. We survived.
We also have a Pacifist constitution because of it.
We also know we can never be independent in our thinking again. We are slaves to the West. We owe everything to the West – after all, we could’ve had our land taken from us, we could’ve had been made to assimilate to foreign ideals.
We are doing what we can not to bother anybody any more.
We can only abide by what we are told.
We try to behave as proper as possible so that no one bothers us any more.
We are afraid.
All I can do is speak the truth on behalf of what’s deep in our hearts.
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You didn’t get the shit kicked out of you. You should be aware of the fact that Japan IMPROVED the living standards of the entire continent before World War II.
The fact that you say your feelings about the past represent most Japanese people does not bode well for Japan.
A nation that is afflicted with a self-loathing and low self-esteem is not a good recipe for future success.
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“A nation that is afflicted with a self-loathing and low self-esteem is not a good recipe for future success.”
Why, exactly? You state this very firmly, but I can’t think of any legitimate backup this thesis except for rather abundant kitchen sink philosophy. Japan and Germany both adopted rather modest, self-critical and self-restricted stances in terms of politics. Both are among the best places to live in the world. Care to tell how this could have happened?
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Who knew Temple University had comedians as professors?! I love irony!
Japan is unique for its lack of nationalism.
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Well it was the head of Temple Japan’s Asian Studies department who made an ass of himself on CNN over the e-Mobile monkey….
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Got a link to a news article/video of this?
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http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=MCmiKJLx5IY
“Cluelessness really isn’t an excuse. Really Japan has to understand that public discourse here is not just a domestic discourse, it’s an international discourse.” (Text in bold is mine)
How did the E-Mobile commercial suddenly come to represent the entire nation of Japan? And what’s up with his fixation with the word ‘discourse’? Does a commercial qualify as ‘discourse’?
What Mr. Kingston is arguing is that Japanese people as a whole are somehow obligated to perceive racism in the exact same way that racism is perceived in the West, and if they don’t then they are naive. He insinuates that not associating the E-Mobile commercial with racism is a flaw of their characters (as an entire race, mind you), therefore the commercial is a reflection of the prejudice of the entire nation.
Wow! Temple University is overflowing with irony!
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Seriously though, Japan needs to stop being so ignorant of the international discourse… Japan also needs to pay me back my 50 bucks. Don’t give Japan money. They’ll never pay you back.
/sarcasm
I agree that this guy makes Temple University look like a joke. Or was it a joke to begin with? I’m not sure either way.
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Oh wow. Its the same guy? Great!
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Japan is clearly moving in the direction of more rather than less nationalism. there was a good feature on PBS in America about the current turn away from pacifism.
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The two may be related, but did PBS actually feature nationalism and pacifism as direct opposites?
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May I ask, specifically what did PBS say about Japan’s turning away from pacifism?
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Here is the feature:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/japans-about-face/video-full-episode/1641/
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Thanks Jordan!!
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You are welcome ponta. I had watched this very same program and I didn’t agree with the premise that Japan is moving towards nationalism.
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As a Chinese,I wanna say:
1. STOP EQUALING the 1.3 BILLION PPL OF CHINA WITH THOSE 1000 POTHEADS WHO DEMONSTRATED AGAINST JAPAN YEARS YEARS AGO.
EVERY year in Germany, thousands of Nazis walk along the street in major cities to celebrate facism. The west still dont say the germans r all Nazis.
But when in China, some 0,00000000000001% of the population did something stupid, suddenly ALL CHINESE r racist & nationalistic etc.
No generalisation plz.
2.
TO LB:
Do u know that german pupil spend 1 school year to learn the history of WW2 with specific emphasis on concentration camps and the horros commited by Germans?
And u think its Ok when the Japanese (like the Germans being accused of some of the worst crimes of human history)
just avoid facing this page of their history with the excuse of not having enough time? WOW. Thats good.
Also, the textbooks. I dont know.
I just imagine what will happen in the US if the german government approves a school textbook saying just 3 million jews died & the KZs were not that bad after all.
I mean, its not a book published by independent publisher, its a whitewashing document published with approval at governmental level.
Who guarantees that not more&more schools in the future start choosing this books for teaching?
e.g.: a 16 year old learned from one book that Japan did bad things in China, and Nanking massacre cause the death of hundreds of thousands.
Than he learned from another book brought by the teacher that Japan only did good things in China and actually only 100 ppl died in Nanking.
The Japanese r actually offering their youngster alternatives to believe in, no matter true or not. This guy now has the choice, he can choose to believe Japan was bad OR good in WW2.
Now tell me, its this subtle manipulation at its best or not?
Give this 16 years old a reason not to choose the better sounding one.
Dont mention China for justification plz. 2 wrongs dont make blablabla…
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Which Japanese textbook says Japan did only good things in China? Did you actually read Japanese history textbooks?
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Wow – so far off base I hardly even know where to begin –
1000 potheads? There were many more than that in one demo in one city, and there were demos in many cities in China. Recently. Hardly “years ago”.
Thousands of neo-Nazis marching in Germany every year? Try a few hundred – with many times more than that marching in counter-protest. THAT is why no-one says “all Germans are Nazis” – the Germans show through their actions that they disapprove, as a society, of the actions of those few. Where were the Chinese who disapproved of the mobs throwing rocks and eggs at the Japanese embassy and consulates?
“The Japanese avoid facing their history”. Obviously you know nothing of the Japanese educational system or the types of programs that are regularly broadcast on Japanese TV by both the private and state-run networks. If you had any clue as to the amount of information readily and freely available to Japanese, you would never say “the Japanese avoid facing their history”. You were right when you said this: “Also, the textbooks. I dont know.” You’re right. You don’t know.
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OHMMMMMM: Be reasonable.
First of all, 1000 out of 1.3 billion is 0.0001% rather than 0,00000000000001% as you claim.
“Do u know that german pupil spend 1 school year to learn the history of WW2″
I do not know, and anyone with minimal common sense would doubt your assertion.
Do you believe German pupils spend a whole school year without learning anything about math, science, language, arts, geography, or physical education, but WW2?
It seems you have developed a habit of believing in whatever makes you feel good.
“Than he learned from another book brought by the teacher that Japan only did good things in China and actually only 100 ppl died in Nanking.”
Which Japanese textbook says “only 100 ppl died in Nanking”? Just show me. You are criticizing Japan for something that does not even exist.
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Nah, not 100. Just 20000. Just 20000.
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I tend to exaggerate to make my point. Sorry for that.
Hi, LB:
1. There r thousands of Nazis running on the street in Germany at some very special days. I made the mistake not to mention I was actually saying Germany as a whole. Ops. Its not about the figures anyway.
By the way, the third largest jpanese expat community is in Shanghai.
There was one outburst of anti-JP demonstrations
in 50 years, of course totally unprovoked by anybody.
-The Chinese have the right to express their anger.
-They shouldnt act violently.
(Although egg-throwing isnt exactly violent. Next time, i suggest rotten tomatos instead of stones.)
Did any Japanese ever encounter racist attacts like being chased & being beaten up to death in China before & after the heat got cold? Things like this happens in the west.
But hey, if u think a minority represents a majority,therefore China is racist or antiJP, u r free to do so.
-Well, the beloved JP TV media. They show sufferings, i know. But practically 90% of it r japanese sufferings in WW2, isnt it?
I know i exaggerated too much.
But, isnt the reduction of the death toll of nanking an act of whitewashing history? (Like we were bad, but not that bad.)
If not, what is it than? I think its scandalous that its being used in any school.
So, its acceptable when just 2 schools use it? How about 3 or 4 or 5? Where is the limit?
Isnt this a subtile manipulation when u offer ppl choices to believe in?
Nanking is being regarded as the biggest blot in JPs recent history. I totally understand if a Japanese choose their 20.000 dead version over the 300.000 dead version. Human nature.
________________________________
hi, stereo
I dun know how anyone can come up with the idea that I was referring to anything else than history lesson.
I know exactly how the german education system works cos I had german school education myself. I spent a whole school year to learn everything about WW2 BESIDE other lessons like math & physics etc. Thats why we needed a whole school year instead of 1 month!
We met survivors of KZs, we visited KZ etc.
Did any of the jpanese classes ever get a visit from its former victims? Is there any museum giving a sincere & full coverage of JPs war crimes at all? Not just showing some old airplanes. Did u ever saw pics of jpanese soldier killing civilians in China or elsewhere / mass graves / beheadings / rape victims in schoolbooks? Or in any history museum in JP? (I saw stuff like that in german schoolbooks & museums. Nasty).
Ok. the 1000 was a bit exaggerated. Well, according to Wiki, some 300.000 ppl died in Nanking. The textbook says some 20.000 died. Makes me feel lots better now.
How would u feel if the US government gives its O.K. for a school book saying just some 20.000 ppl died in Hiroshima?
Dont tell me I dont undertand JP. I experienced how a nation(Germany)can face its history in a sincere & dignified way. And JP seems to be far away from it. Admitted, CN/SK r worst.
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