Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0169, 1946-01-15.
Date15 January, 1946
RepositoryRauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
Call Numbersocial-0767
Call NumberDS801 .S84
Persistent Identifier
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SOCIAL SERIES: 169
ITEM 1 Democratization of Education in KOBE - Kobs Shimbun (KOBE) - 6 Jan Translator:
T. Ogawa.
Summary:
MacARTHUR'S Headquarters recently issued a directive ordering the JAPANESE Government
to suspend the teaching of national
history, ethics, and geography. Our national history was full of "BUSHIDO" and feudalistic
ideas. Ethics taught have been of
the variety which teach blind obedience to the State, and school children and students
have been taught that blind obedience
is the highest virtue. Geography has been of use to stress the geopolitical superiority
of our empire, and to justify
aggressive actions. The recent Allied General Headquarters' directive is intended
to transform JAPAN into a civilized,
peaceful nation by eliminating anti-democratic courses of study.
The democratization of educational institutions, which has made some progress since
the war's end, will be spurred by this
directive. It would be premature to assume that training in social virtue has been
renounced just because the study of ethics
has been withdrawn from the curriculum. The level of our Nation's social virtue is
generally low. Therefore, it is necessary
to train people in social virtues from their school days onward. This training will
be included in other subjects or will be
given through the whole course of school education. For example, at second at schools
civic and ethical courses are being
offered at present. It is expected that the civic course will remain untouched even
if the ethics course is abolished, because
political education is especially necessary for the promotion of democracy.
In this connection the prefectural Mechanical and Engineering School authorities
have stated, "In our school, we stopped
teaching geography and history at the end of the war. Ethics were taught by teachers
without using any text bocks from the
first to the fifth year classes. This will, however, be stopped. In advanced classes
we are teaching civics. This course will
perhaps be continued. Prefectural and municipal authorities have not concluded a policy
regarding the disposition of teachers
of history and geography in secondary schools owing to the feet that no instructions
have yet been received from the Ministry
of Education."
School inspector NAKATA averred, "I desire that the people who will live in new JAPAN
be given all the training possible. If
we stop teaching history and geography, I want to use the leisure hours to teach science,
mathematics, and literatures,
because, due to mobilization for industry and war evacuation, the students are considerably
backward in these subjects."
SOCIAL SERIES: 169 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
Mr. MARUTANI, President of the KOBE Economic University, said, "It is expected that
from universities down to primary schools,
courses in history, ethics, and geography will be abolished. In our university we
are teaching economic history. The study of
this will be permitted because it is necessary for the study of economics. I believe,
however, that ethics, geography; and
history in the preparatory courses will surely be abolished."
Mr. FUJITA, Master of the SUWAYAMA Primary School, opines, "We must teach children
in a more scientific way by wiping out
militarism and mysticism from history, geography, and ethics.
This will not be easy, For instance, we cannot teach history by adding private opinions.
We will have to eliminate these three
courses in the forthcoming third term unless we receive some concrete instructions
from the authorities. We intend, however,
to hold a conference of teachers without waiting for instructions from the Authorities.
Of course, we will eliminate such
parts as those which state JAPAN to be the leader of Greater EAST ASIA, and those
which refer to KOREA and FORMCSA. After
studying carefully the textbooks published before the MANCHURIA Incident, we will
draw up new teaching material regarding
industry, climate, topography, communications, and cities and towns. As for ethics,
it is utterly impossible to select
material from the existing textbooks. We may, however, be able to emphasize morals
in everyday life, or point out examples of
men who observed the spirit of liberty and equality. It will, however, be quite impossible
to teach history unless the
authorities supply us with suitable teaching material."
Mr. MIKI, Master of the HIGASHI-KAWASAKI Primary School, stated, "There is nothing
we can do unless we are instructed by the
authorities. We will abolish the teaching of ethics, geography, and history in this
third term. We can thus save six hours a
week, which we want to use for science and mathematics in order to fill the gap caused
by the evacuation during the war."
Mr. MATSUI, Assistant Master of the NISHI-SUMA Primary School, said, "Of the three
courses, I do not think we can abolish
ethics, even if the text books are abolished. Of course, we will not adhere to the
nationalistic way of education, but we must
properly teach the children morals. Public morality in defeated JAPAN is very lax.
Therefore, we must endeavor to raise
morality at least to the prewar level. We cannot teach history until we get instructions
from the instruction Ministry."
ITEM 2 New Universities for Women - Mainichi Shimbun - 13 Jan 46. Translator: Y. Akabane.
Summary:
The Education Ministry has clarified its revolutionary intention of bringing about
educational equality between men and women
through mixed education in universities and the establishment of women's universities.
The new policy was made public the
other day in a pamphlet called "New Outline on the Renovation of Female Education."
Along this line the JAPAN Women's
University at MEJIRO and TSUEA-JUKU Professional School are now going to raise their
status to real universities by next
April. The following are the plans of these two schools:
JAPAN Women's University: An entirely new women's university will be established,
and the existing institution, functioning
under the
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SOCIAL SERIES: 169 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
professional school system, will be abolished. The new university will offer a six
years' course. The first term lasts four
years, and second term two years. There are two departments-domestic science, and
literature. The former consists of six
courses, including domestic science, domestic arts, social welfare, Child welfare,
biological agricultural technology, and
physical chemistry. The latter has four courses, including national language and literature,
English, civics, and
history.
The existing men's universities have been too specialized in their courses, and graduates,
therefore, lack adaptability. The
promotors of the new university intend to widen the range of courses offered and thereby
enable students to develop their
abilities more fully. They aim at establishing perfect womenhood, giving life to women's
instincts and nature, but they do not
aim at creating competition for men's universities.
The first term will be divided into two parts, consisting of two years, for the students'
convenience. Those who desire to
push their studies may go to men's universities after graduation, or, if they desire
to learn some speciality such as
electricity or engineering, they may go to men's university after finishing the first
term. As the division of four and two
years for the first and the second terms respectively is not in conformity with current
university policy, educational
authorities are hoping to change them to two and four years respectively. Besides,
there is a question as to whether domestic
science ban be made a subject of learning in a university. The promoters are now negotiating
with the Education Ministry about
these two items.
TSUHA-JUKC University: The name of the University is not yet fixed. The existing
TSUDA Professional School program consists of
an English course of three years and a science course of four years. In the new plan
a literature department (national
literature and historical courses) and scientific department (physical sciences, chemistry,
mathematics, and biology) will be
created on a university level in addition to the existing courses. In the future a
course in agricultural technology will be
added to the scientific department. The literary department will be opened this April,
but the scientific department will not
be opened until April 1947, as there will be no students qualified to enter the present
science course having been established
only three years ago. The highest class at present is now truly in its third year.
School unification: During the war about half the national and secondary schools
in TOKYO suffered damages by air raids, and
the number of students decreased due to their evacuation to provincial districts.
In view of this, the TOKYO Bureau of
Education has been preparing since the end of last year, for the wholesale rearrangement
of these schools, according to the
tentative draft set up by the Bureau, about 100 national schools and about 30 government
and public secondary schools will be
abolished by the end of this month the remaining schools will push their way actively
toward the establishment of democratic
education, starting next April.
National schools: These schools numbered altogether 675 in the city before the war,
of which 355 suffered by the air raids,
the total destruction of school buildings reaching 274. Of these schools around 100
will be abolished, including 11 schools
partly destroyed after the end of war and two left undamaged. These 13 school buildings
are now being used as temporary
dwellings for war sufferers Former students of these schools will, be accommodated
in other schools.
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SOCIAL SERIES: 169 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
Secondary schools: Most of the 21 schools, which have been transformed, as an urgent
measure during the war, from commercial
or girls' domestic schools into industrial or girls' commercial schools, will be restored
to their former status. Eleven
metropolitan night schools will be abolished. In addition, approximately 30 out of
49 schools totally destroyed by fire will
be abolished. Although completely destroyed, the city's 4th Middle School will be
continued in consideration of its tradition
of superior records. Lessons will be given in temporary buildings for sometime to
come.
On the other hand, there were about 340 private schools. Many of the damaged ones
will be discontinued owing to financial
difficulties, but the abolition or continuation is left entirely to the choice of
the school managers. However, concrete
expediencies will be taken with regard to the change of schools by students. The teachers
and staff of the schools to be
abolished are to be transferred to other remaining schools, except for those who are
to be retired because of age.
ITEM 3 Metropolitan Police Board Directive and Further List of Crimes - Asahi Shimbun
- 13 Jan 46.
Translator: M, Ohno.
Full Translation:
Since the end of the war, the wave of crimes has been surging higher and higher in
the metropolitan areas, and the urban
residents often are in constant fear. To meet this situation, the Metropolitan Police
Board issued a directive to all police
stations within its jurisdiction as follows: 1. Policemen on outdoor duty must be
at their respective stations by 1400 every
day and work as usual between 1400 and 1630, but must patrol in pairs between 1730
and 2200, if possible with lanterns, 2.
Policemen on outdoor duty must be given time for rest during the day for night patrol.
3. Three policemen, as a rule, must be
on duty at each police stand after 1700. If necessary, the policemen on indoor duty
may be used to assist them.
The following is a report on crimes committed at various places:
Around 1940 on 11 January, two men broke into the house of INOUE, Tomeji, aged 38,
of SHINAGAWA-Ku, threatened the family with
a rifle and stole 1,820 Yen.
Around 2200 on the same day the same burglars stole a total of 500 Yen from SHINOHARA,
Jinko, ICHIKAWA, Kinko, and KAKINUMA,
Takaichi of the same Ku.
Around 2200 on the same day a group of nine burglars broke into the house of TODA,
Seiemon, of the same Ku and stole 13
radiators and one bed.
At 2130 on the same day, IKEGAMI, Yoshio, was robbed of his wrist watch by a couple
on a road near TERAJIMA-Machi,
SHINAGAWA-Ku.
At 2140 on the same day a group of eight burglars stole 652 Yen from SUZUKI, Nobuyuki,
of the same Ku.
Around 1910 on the same day a trio armed with pistols broke into the house of SHIMAGAMI,
Tamiko, of KATSUSHIKA-Ku and stole
180 Yen.
Around 2040 on the same day KIKUCHI, Ompu, was shot by a trio on the northern side
of the TAKASA[illegible]O
Station of the KEISEI Electric Line and
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SOCIAL SERIES: 169 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
sustained an injury which will take three weeks to heel completely.
Around 2100 on the same day a couple, armed with pistols, broke into the house of
TAKATSU, Jujuro, of NIHONBASHI-Ku and stole
1,600 Yen.
Around 1950 on the same day, SHTNDO, Shigehiko, of SUGINAMI-Ku was threatened with
pistols by a couple and was robbed of,
among other things, a check for 2,000 Yen and 900 Yen in cash.
Around 2350 on the same day NAKAMURA, Shigehei, and his son were injured by two burglars
and robbed of 850 Yen.
At 1700 on the same day a trio broke into the house of NAKAMURA, Tomokichi, of HACHIOJI
City, and stole 1,000 Yen.
Around 0330 on 12 January three persons, who looked like demobilized service men,
broke into the house of TAKARA, Taro of
ITABASHI-Ku threatened him with swords and pistols, and stole 7,000 Yen a lot of clothes,
and two diamonds.
Two Korean burglars, MATSUMOTO, Hotetsu, aged 23, and KINJYU, Sho, aged 21, who had
stolen 7,000 Yen from HIOKI, Toyo, and
TSUSHIMA, Kikuzo of ARAKAWA-Ku, were arrested on 10 January at SHIMONOSEKI.
ITEM 4 Democratic Society of Scientists Formed - Yomiuri Hochi - 13 Jan 46. Translator:
M. Ohno.
Full Translation:
An inaugural meeting of the Democratic Scientists' Society (MINSHU SHUGI KAGAKUSHA
KYOKAI) was held at 1300 on 12 January at
the Red Cross Auditorium at ONARIMON, SHIBA-Ku. Over one hundred progressive persons
in educational circles and some
representatives from the Communist and Social-Democrat Parties were in attendance.
After a formal address made by TAKAKUWA,
Sumio, KAZAMI, Yasoji was selected chairman of the meeting.
The items discussed were opposition to reactionary science and thought based on feudalism
and fascism, research and
popularization of democratic science, service to the Nation by scientific methods,
connection with other democratic scientific
parties, the issuance of a magazine "Democratic Science" (MINSHU SHUGI KAGAKU), and
the adoption of other enterprises to
promote scientific knowledge within the Nation.
A motion for the active co-operation of the group seeking a coalition cabinet of
the Liberal, Social-Democratic, and Communist
Parties instead of the present SHIDEHARA Cabinet, was introduced by SUZUKI, Tomin,
the managing editor of the YOMIURI HOCHI.
Another notion to establish a committee for eliminating those scientists responsible
for the war, and for restoring real
science, was also introduced by TAKEYA, Mitsuo. The two motions were passed and put
into effect at the meeting.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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