A Study on the Actual Conditions of Japanese Language Textbooks Censorship during the Early Post-War Period.

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11680268
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 教科教育
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIDA Hirohisa Japanese Language Education, Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, Professor, 大学院・教育学研究科, 教授 (80108373)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2001
• Keywords: censorship / textbook censorship / Criteria of Deletion / postwar education / GHQ / CIE / authorized textbooks / mass communication censorship / occupation policy

Research Abstract

(1) The purpose of textbook censorship
In order to democratize the educational curriculum, in other words, to eliminate ultranationalism, militarism and Shintoism and to conduct the occupation smoothly, in other words, to avoid any criticism of GHQ policy, censorship was imposed in various areas (e. g. broadcasting, plays, newspapers, magazines, movies etc.). Along with the former purpose, textbook censorship was imposed as well. This censorship lasted from the beginning to the end of occupation, covering the development from the national textbooks, including the provisional textbooks, to the early authorized textbooks. In the censorship process, three copies of a translated version of a textbook had to be submitted to GHQ.
(2) Areas of textbook censorship
Textbook censorship was mainly conducted on "contents" and "expressions" with subcategories as follows : "contents": not democratic ; despising other's personality ; deteriorating students' progress ; against the prevention of cruelty to animals ; describing cruelty ; losing beauty ; misleading foreign people ; inappropriate for health ; descriptions which are too complex to understand ; wrong or inaccurate descriptions ; unnecessary descriptions ; descriptions which are not acknowledged in the academic field, "expressions" : inaccurate, inappropriate or exaggerated expressions ; inaccurate illustrations and illustrations which are misleading or do not match with their explanation ; inappropriate or misleading research ; insufficient ; inaccurate or incomplete explanation or even no explanation, making false statements.
(3) Characteristics of textbook censorship
The mass communication censorship had the characteristic of checking GHQ' s occupation policy, in other words, the censorship of adults. On the other hand, textbook censorship had a leading role to nourish democracy, in other words, the censorship towards the future of children.