save our japan!

update on 14th, pm 19:30). Special Committee passed the bill at 18:00 today. General Session of the Upper House is held tomorrow. We will request the Chairperson not to take a division on this bill, since the Minister of Education said that he didn't guarantee this bill to be consistent with the Constitution.

Following is an exchange in the session of the Special Committee on Dec. 13th;

Fukushima (head of the Social Democrats):
Doesn't the proposed bill breach the Constitution?
Ibuki (Minister of Education):
I never said that the proposed bill is fully consistent with the Constitution.

the Democratic Party (the largest opposition party)
Mr. Naoto KAN
FAX: +81-3-3595-0090

Mr. Yukio HATOYAMA
FAX: +81-3-3502-5295

List of Members of the Special Committee for the Fundamental Law of Education, with websites, mail addresses, phone and fax numbers

more detail

Urgent: Fundamental Law of Education of Japan is in great danger

Saga, December 13, 2006

Dear colleagues and friends,
The democracy in Japan's educational system is in the greatest danger we have ever experienced since its fundamental reform after the World War II. The bill to change the Fundamental Law of Education, which has never been touched since its enactment for 60 years, is foreseen to pass the Diet by this weekend unless some unimaginably big things do happen. The new bill obliges schools to teach patriotism, respect of "national tradition" and other virtues defined by the government.

It literally breaches the freedom of thinking and conscience, as well as the academic freedom, which are guaranteed by the Constitution, or are considered to be the minimum standard of freedom of all modern states.

The government has long deceived the public by notoriously orchestrating the so-called "Town Meetings" by pre-organizing the participants to say their "opinions" in favor of the government.

Many teachers and academics expressed their opposition to the proposed law, but the ruling coalition, the LDP and the Komeito Party, which fills the absolute majority of the parliament, closes their ears to these voices.

Since I think that the breaches of those fundamental values are not only the issue of our country but also shoud be an international agenda, I ask all colleagues worldwide to share the concern about this subject with us.

And, if possible, please express your concern or opinion by every means, and send it to the politicians in Tokyo(addresses are written below) and the Japanese media .

Regrettably we have not translated the proposed bill into English yet, so that you may not be able to make a definitive judgement on this issue. But the many attentive and critical eyes from around the world may somehow discourage the people inpelling this policy, and will encourage the people struggling for the freedom of education in Japan.

Translation of the proposed bill into English or other languages will be very welcome and helpful.

Since this move will help to revive the Japan's nationalism and militarism, this proposed bill is considered to be the first step to the amendment of the Japan's Constitution, namely to relinquish its Article 9. So this issue is greatly linked to the peace and stability of North-East Asia and the world.

Sincerely yours,
Kouichi TOYOSHIMA, Professor of Physics
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Saga
1 Honjo-machi, Saga, 840-8502 Japan
phone/fax: +81-952-28-8845

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1) related documents and websites
The proposed bill (the government website, in Japanese)
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/kihon/houan.htm
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houan/an/06042712/003.pdf

The exidting law
in Japanese: http://www.houko.com/00/01/S22/025.HTM
in English: http://www.geocities.jp/chikushijiro2002/Education/law-of-educationE.html

Comparison of the proposed and existing law, and criticism by the opponents (in Japanese):
http://www.kyokiren.net/_recture/date060428.pdf
which is in the opponent website http://www.kyokiren.net/

Main opponent's website ( in Japanese)
http://www.stop-ner.jp/

English page for the opposition to the plan to transform national universities to the "independent administrative cooperation":
http://pegasus.phys.saga-u.ac.jp/znete.html

2) websites, fax numbers and e-addresses of the major political parties of Japan.
Governmental coalition
LDP
website : http://www.jimin.jp/jimin/english/index.html
http://www.jimin.jp/
opinions are accepted by the following form
http://meyasu.jimin.or.jp/cgi-bin/jimin/meyasu-entry.cgi
Komeito Party
website : http://www.komei.or.jp/
http://www.komei.or.jp/en/index.html
opinions are accepted by the following form
https://c.fresheye.com/p/access_page/enq/entry.asp?id=question&d=komeitou
FAX: +81 3-3225-0207

Opposition parties
Democratic Party
website : http://www.dpj.or.jp/
mail : info@dpj.or.jp
FAX: +81 3-3595-9991
Social Democratic Party
website : http://www5.sdp.or.jp/
opinions are accepted by the following form
http://www5.sdp.or.jp/central/inq/inq.html
Communist Party
website : http://www.jcp.or.jp/
mail : info@jcp.or.jp
mail to the Journal : hensyukoe@jcp.or.jp
FAX: +81 3-5474-8358

above all from http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/pegasus/