Values and Value Priorities Underlying Japanese Elementary-School Moral Education: Content Analysis of Japanese Elementary-School Moral Books

Abstract

Japan has seen controversy over moral education. Generally, Japanese moral education is regarded as a menace to the development of true democracy and multiculturalism. Moral education in the Meiji period and in the years leading to and during the Second World War was blamed for the country’s fanatical militarism and nationalism. Postwar democratic reforms ended moral education; however, traditional moral values continued to guide people’s lives. At that time Japanese moral values were criticized for contributing to the shaping of shared cultural consciousness and common national identity, suggesting Japan’s cultural superiority over other cultures. In 2006, the Fundamental Law of Education of 1947 (FLE), which defined the principles for post-war Japanese education, was revised. It stipulated the importance of teaching Japanese traditions and culture with special emphasis on moral education. The return of moral education has provoked fear and suspicion of a return to past militarism and nationalism. Hitherto, discussions on Japanese moral education have entailed strong political overtones. However, few have actually studied the content of the books used in moral education. The present study examined Japanese elementary-school moral books published in 2008 to identify types of values transmitted therein. Content analysis of the moral books has revealed that the values presented in the moral books are congruent with universal human values recognized across cultures around the world. Confucianism and Buddhism explain values absent from the moral books. The influence of Shinto is also found. The paper discusses the findings in reference to the theory of universal human values and the Japanese cultural heritage. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n4p359