Slippery slope from patriotism to militarism.

last updated 8 January 2015

Japan

Editorial

Patriotism is a tricky subject to teach, said Tokyo’s Asahi Shimbun in an editorial. A parliamentary debate is currently “raging” over how best to encourage children to honor their country. The government has proposed amending the education law to include language about “fostering an attitude of love for the nation and homeland,” while the opposition wants the law to “cultivate the heart with a love of Japan.” Ordinary Japanese can perhaps be excused for failing to grasp the subtle difference between these two proposals. The fact is, any law that seeks to require a demonstration of students’ patriotism is “dangerous.” Japan went down that road before World War II, when citizens were imbued with an unquestioning nationalist passion that hurled the country into war. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is trying to assure us that this new push to revive Japanese nationalism is not intended to incite martial passions, but only to “nurture admirable manpower for the benefit of Japan.” That sounds innocuous enough. But we hope he can find better ways to instill national pride than by teaching students to salute.