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French Editor: G. Delamotte. Translation: Peter Brown
The writer emphasises the importance of educational reform for Mr. Abe and the break that the draft bill represents with the spirit of the present fundamental law.
Mr. Abe is the first Prime Minister to be born post-war, whose party has committed itself in its electoral programme to revising the Constitution within five years. For this politician, what is paramount is to give the people the impression that he has managed to radically change the policy of the post-war period. Education is at the top of the list of his plans for reform. In October, immediately after the Prime Minister’s election, a think tank close to Mr. Abe, “the Organisation for the Regeneration of Education” (Nihon kyôiku saisei kykô), headed by the lawyer Yagi Hidetsugu, who is a key figure in the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, held a meeting about education. By means of this reform of a law dating back to the immediate post-war period that had never been amended, the Prime Minister intended to bolster his image as a new-generation Head of State.
In 1999, at the time of the passing of the law on flag raising and singing of the national anthem in schools, Mr. Abe lent his support to making them compulsory at ceremonies marking the start and the close of studies. A decree was published in relation to this on the eve of Mr. Abe’s election as president of the PLD. Four hundred and one teachers then instituted proceedings against the Tokyo education board and the city of Tokyo which wanted to make flag raising and singing compulsory. The Tokyo district court ruled that such an obligation would be anti-constitutional (art. 19 of the Constitution) and ran counter to provisions of the 1999 law (art. 10).
The ultimate aim of the draft legislation is to break the connection between education and the Constitution. The preamble to the education law currently in force (which dates from 1947) begins with the following words, which are deleted in the present bill: “Having established a Constitution, [built a democratic and culturally rich nation, we have resolved to contribute to the well-being of humanity and world peace].”[1] This was a reminder that sovereignty was no longer imperial but a matter for the people, and that from now on the government would not be declaring any more wars.