A Comparative Study of Contemporary Japan in Japanese and U.S. World History Textbooks.

In both Japan and the United States textbooks are regarded as one of the primary tools for classroom instruction. The curricula for elementary and secondary education is the responsibility of each of the 50 states in the United States. In Japan, the Ministry of Education determines the course of study, and curriculum for elementary and secondary schools is based on the regulations of the School Education Law. A study investigated and compared the treatment of contemporary Japan with a special focus on politics after World War II in world history textbooks widely used in Japan and the United States. Five best-selling world history textbooks in Japan were selected for examination, as were five U.S. textbooks currently approved for use in Georgia schools. Differences were found between Japanese and U.S. senior high world history textbooks including the length of references to post-war Japan and the total number of nouns and proper nouns from the two categories, "People" and "Years." Differences occurred also in the length of passages and content. For example, Japanese textbooks stressed Japan's foreign relations with the United States and China after World War II and anti-nuclear weapons movements, while U.S. textbooks devoted more space to the U.S. role and policies in Japan during U.S. occupation from 1945 to 1951. References to contemporary Japan in Japanese textbooks were much briefer than in U.S. textbooks. Findings gave rise to five general recommendations, four recommendations for Japanese textbooks, and four recommendations for U.S. textbooks. (Contains 6 tables and 65 references.) (BT)