Education of whom, for whom, by whom? Revising the Fundamental Law of Education in Japan

Abstract

Revision of the Fundamental Law of Education (FLE) has recently become a key aspect of educational reform in Japan. The perceived need to enhance national solidarity through textbooks and the school curriculum is also evident in discussions surrounding educational issues in Japan and has been expressed in calls for greater patriotism and morality in society. This move towards developing a 'self-awareness of being Japanese' and a respect for traditional culture increased after the establishment of the Ad-Hoc Council in the 1980s and was later sanctioned with the passing of the National Flag and Anthem Law in August 1999. It is important to note that the Education Reform National Council's (ERNC) proposal to revise the FLE must be seen as essentially continuous with the Ad-Hoc Council's call for national integration, since the ERNC views the ideals of education expressed in the FLE as deficient in patriotism and social morality. In an attempt to understand the move towards the revision of the FLE, this paper examines the conflicts that animate the contemporary educational reform debate by scrutinizing the proposals for reconsideration of educational principles of post-war Japan. The paper argues that the revision of the FLE may threaten the democratic ideals of post-war Japanese schooling and result in greater educational inequalities along the lines of social stratification. The paper cautions against an unqualified commitment to the revision of the FLE.