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“The
scope and breadth of this study is clearly commendable. The thoroughness
of the work (including massive referencing of Japanese-language sources
and good foregrounding of the material) makes it a valuable resource not
only for those working on historical issues of education and Japan, but
also for those interested in comparative historical education issues.” “Kyoko
Inoue’s engrossing study of educational policy and philosophy may begin
to explain the theological underpinnings of the [fundamental decency] of
Japanese society. . . . as lucid and informative as it is
provocative.” In
this study the author analyzes the concept of “individual dignity.”
The American draft of the Japanese Constitution included an article
expressing that each individual was entitled to respect simply by virtue
of being a human being. The Japanese, however, interpreted this concept as
“respect for jinkaku (moral character).” Jinkaku
was a strongly elitist concept that gradually acquired more egalitarian
meanings during the Taisho period. Yet the hierarchical connotations were
still present when the term was used to interpret “individual dignity”
in the Constitution and was later made the foundation of postwar Japanese
education. As Japanese discourse began to embrace the American idea that
all people are worthy of respect just because they are human beings, and
thus their fundamental rights must be protected, it did not adopt the
American emphasis on protecting individual rights against the government.
Consonant with the ideas embodied in the Constitution, the Japanese teach
that government and the people are jointly responsible for bringing about
a fair and just society for all. Textbooks thus promote a communitarian
rather than individualistic view of democracy. Individual
Dignity in Modern Japanese Thought is important for scholars of modern
Japanese intellectual history and Japanese democracy, for political
scientists interested in political socialization, and for scholars of
comparative history, law, politics, and education. Published by Center
for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan |
