July 22nd Takaya Seri
Peace education in Japan
The starting point (of) for post-war education on history was a reflection (of) on the war of aggression. Therefore, the importance of peace education* has been emphasized as one of good measures to convey the tragedy regarding 15years war since 1931. However, it is difficult to continue to give effective peace education to young people in many aspects these days.
*peach education is a strange phrase – maybe you need to say “the importance of pacifism has been emphasized in Japanese education and serves as one the effective means to convey the tragedy of the 15 years war since 1931.
Firstly, memories of the war in our society (has) have been fading with the passage of the time. In the past peace education was highly (rely) reliant on those who experienced the war and the atomic bomb(ing) survivors. However, as 72 years (has) have passed since the end of the war, the number of those people has decreased. Teachers are their children or grandchildren without a concrete image of the war. What they teach might not be convincing.
Secondly simulated war experience through video games would affect young people remarkably. It is difficult for them who are familiar with some type of video game to have an appreciation of the dreadful nature of real wars. Virtual reality would provide them a painless and resettable war experience although a real war must entail deaths, blood-shed, starvation, serious environmental pollution and spread of diseases.
Young people might be liable to be aggressive and readily affected by some hawkish, seemingly patriotic and brave opinions due to lack of imagination based on real experience.
Thirdly quite a few students are feeling that peace education is boring. I have read that some of them watch the same video every year and are forced to write stereotyped and superficial impressions. They are not interested in wartime atrocities. It is understandable because they don’t learn modern history adequately. Without a comprehensive knowledge (on) of modern history since the Meiji period, they cannot (think) comprehend the cause of the 15 years war and how to prevent future wars (in the future based) through an full understanding of (on) historical facts.
I believe that we have to share and (take over the) have ownership of the knowledge in reference to the past war to prevent the spread of reckless and aggressive opinions and address issues we are facing properly regardless of ideology and historical views we have.
Unfortunately, Japan became a so called “ordinary country”, which can wage war following the USA without geographical restrictions due to the enactment of the security (registrations) legislation. We should review the significance of peace education and devise (the) an effective way to convey it to young people.
Q1. Have you ever heard the war experience or life during the war directly?
Have you ever heard directly people’s experience of life during the war?
Q2. Have you felt fearfulness of war? Have you ever been afraid of the prospect of war?
Q3. Did you get peace education in your school life? What did you feel then?
Did your teachers instruct you in the importance of pacifism? How did you feel about it?
Q4. What do you think is the favorable way to educate young people ….. about ….?