Proposals for the Future Development of Peace Education in Hiroshima City - Based on a Comparative Analysis of the Peace Education Curricula of Hiroshima and Dresden

Abstract

Every year students in schools in Hiroshima City study a unique Peace Education curriculum that came about as a direct result of the unique historical experience of the city. During the Second World War, the city of Dresden in Germany suffered similar levels of destruction to Hiroshima. Due to the fact that the two cities endured similar historical experiences in this respect and also have other significant factors in common, an investigation was carried out to compare and contrast their respective Peace Education curricula. Despite the fact that it was ascertained at an early stage that no directly comparable subject to that existing in Hiroshima was being taught in schools in Dresden, the investigation did identify several areas of commonality between the cases, including a strong commitment at both the city government and popular level towards issues relating to peace and international understanding. Furthermore, it also revealed areas where aspects of the teaching of the subjects of History and Political Science in Dresden schools could provide valuable suggestions for the future development of Peace Education in Hiroshima since the Japanese city has been contending with a complex political controversy over the subject for more than two decades. As a result of comparing the curricula of the two cities, the following two main proposals were drawn up regarding means by which Peace Education in Hiroshima could be developed in future. In accordance with the strengths identified in the Dresden case, the author proposes that: 1) efforts are made to broaden the study of the historical background to the atomic bombing in Peace Education classes, both with regard to classroom study and the large-scale events that take place every year as parts of the curriculum; and 2) efforts are made to facilitate a greater degree of internationalisation within the subject, in order to give students an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the events that led to the destruction of Hiroshima and to establish meaningful links with people of other nationalities who hold similar views with regard to issues relating to peace and nuclear weapons. To facilitate these proposals, the author suggests the introduction to Hiroshima’s Peace Education classes of new teaching materials, more student-centred teaching strategies and the development of regular links with