Liberal Japan

A well-respected author and blogger, Shigenobu Tamura (田村重信), reports in his blog that last year the monthly magazine Chichi (致知) featured an article in its April issue in which Bunmei Ibuki, the MEXT Minister, gave his opinion on the Koizumi reforms and education. I’m not clear on whether this was an interview with Ibuki or opinion piece by Ibuki. However, here is my translation of Ibuki’s statements as presented to us in Mr. Tamura’s blog (see below for notes on translation):

If we take the esteemed Ainu and the zainichi people [and so on] as exceptions [i.e. EXCLUDE them], we see that fundamentally Japan is one ethnos, one ethnic ruler-ship, one language, one belief system (a gentle multifaceted belief system); in this world a rare country [a country without precedent]. This is different from an artificial country like America, which is made up of a conglomeration of ethnicities with different languages and different values; without even writing it into law, people in Japan have a tacit understanding which establishes us [as a country]. Under this special environment, our forefathers, for more than a thousand years, through trial and error, again and again, by shaving off the bad, and letting the good remain, have passed down to us, societal norms.
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Not so long ago, we used to say the following words; ” [Even if no one else sees the bad things you do] the Sun is watching”, “Don’t [become ashamed] to show your face to the World.” Illuminated by these traditional norms, Japanese of their own accord judged their behavior. [i.e. they didn’t need laws.] Based on generations of experience, the old mercantile houses formed norms, house constitutions — house precepts, and if they strayed from that path to pursue only profit by not fulfilling their obligations to the customer or by bullying their subcontractors, then they were sternly admonished. Yet the more our country has grown wealthy and abundant, the more our spirit of reverence has grown impoverished. While well clothed and well fed [we may be], from the viewpoint of ethics and morals, you hear “So long as its not illegal, it’s not a problem” “So long as you don’t get caught, it’s okay.” Unethical business dealings and deplorable scandals have become frequent occurrences.
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The postwar educational system has had a big influence here. Take a person who has received this post-war education that gives priority to rights not duty, that puts the private above the public, when this person reaches adulthood, when that child who has been influenced [by this education] becomes an adult, then as a result, they won’t even understand it when they are admonished by saying “[Even if no one else sees the bad things you do] the Sun is watching”, “Don’t [become ashamed] to show your face to the World.”
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In order to get back the traditional societal norms Japanese have lost, the LDP will, with the same fervor with which the postal system was reformed, strive to revise the constitution and to revise the fundamental law of education, (to make) the educational (system) … what it should be.

I think these statements speak for themselves. Japanese aren’t suppose to argue with one another or disagree because they are all suppose be the same in some essential sense. Of course, this is useful for politicians who don’t want the public to eye them too critically. But this is not what is most troubling about these statements.

Note, that Ibuki’s entire line of argument is focused on revising the Constitution of Japan and the Fundamental Law of Education. He clearly states here and in other places that these important documents need to be reformed to reflect the values of the Japanese ethnos. He has specifically said these values are not universal, but special values of the Japanese ethnos. So these values, of course, are not those of the Ainu or those of zainichi people.

Is this internationalization? Is it even Constitutionalism? Probably not.

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Notes on the above translation:

What follows are the original Japanese quotes as presented on Mr. Tamura’s blog page followed by my translation. CAUTION: I have removed ellipses in Mr. Tamura’s quoted text which shows where cuts were made. On Mr. Tamura’s page these were marked with the Chinese character “略”. This may cause confusion if you don’t first view the text as presented on Mr. Tamura’s blog.

Criticism of my translation will be readily accepted.

1.　日本は、アイヌや在日の方などの例外はあるが、基本的に一民族、一民族支配、一言語、同一の信仰（穏やかな多信仰）で成り立つ世界でも稀有（けう）な国である。

If we take the esteemed Ainu and the zainichi people [and so on] as exceptions [i.e. EXCLUDE them], we see that fundamentally Japan is one ethnos, one ethnic ruler-ship, one language, one belief system (a gentle multifaceted belief system); in this world a rare country [a country without precedent].

2.　人工的に移民でつくられたアメリカのように、言語も価値観も異なる人々の集合体である多民族国家と異なり、日本では法に書かれざる“暗黙の了解”が比較的成立しやすかった。

This is different from an artificial country like America, which is made up of a conglomeration of ethnicities with different languages and different values; without writing it in law, people in Japan have a tacit understanding which establishes us [as a country].

3.この特別な環境下で、われわれの祖先は、千年以上もの長きにわたって試行錯誤を繰り返し、上手（うま）くいかないことは削り落とし、よいと思われることを残して、社会規範として伝えてきた。

Under this special environment, our forefathers, for more than thousand years, through trial and error, again and again, by shaving off the bad, and letting the good remain, have passed down to us, societal norms.

4.少し前までは、「お天道様が見ている」、「世間様に顔向けできない」という言葉がよく使われていた。

Not so long ago, we used to say the following words; “the esteemed Sun is watching”, “Don’t [become ashamed] to show your face the honorable World.”

5.日本人は、そういう伝統的社会規範に照らして自らの行動を律してきたのである。

Illuminated by these these traditional norms, Japanese of their own accord judged their behavior. [i.e. they didn’t need laws.]

6.古い商家には、代々の体験にもとづいてつくられた家憲・家訓という規範があり、例えば、ただ利を追求するだけでなく、お得意様に不義理をしたり、お仕入れ先や下職（したしょく）の人をいじめるなど、道に外れたやり方で利を上げることを固く戒めてきた。

Based on generations of experience, the old mercantile houses formed norms, house constitutions — house precepts, and if they strayed this path [as established by the norms] to pursue only profit by not fulfilling their obligations to the customer or by bullying their subcontractors, then they were sternly admonished.

7.　ところが、そうした日本人の尊い精神は、国が豊かになるにつれ次第に希薄になってきている。

Yet the more our country has grown wealthy and abundant, the more our spirit of reverence has grown impoverished.

8.暖衣飽食の中で倫理観、道徳観は薄れ、「法に触れなければ問題ない」、「バレなければ何をやってもいい」と、悪徳商法や不祥事が頻発するようになった。

While well clothed and well fed [we may be], from the viewpoint of ethics and morals, you hear “So long as its not illegal it’s not a problem” “So long as you don’t get caught, it’s okay.” Unethical business dealings, deplorable scandals have become frequent occurrences.

9.戦後の教育の影響も大きい。

The postwar educational system has had a big influence here.

10.義務よりも権利、「公」よりも「私」を優先する戦後教育を受けた人が大人になり、さらにその影響を受けた子どもたちが大人になることによって、「お天道様が見ている」、「世間様に顔向けできない」という戒めが通用しない世の中になっている。

Take a person who has received this post-war education that gives priority to rights not duty, that puts the private above the public, when this person reaches adulthood, when that child who has been influenced [by this education] becomes an adult, then as a result, they won’t even understand it when they are admonished by saying “[Even if no one else sees the bad things you do] the Sun is watching”, “Don’t [become ashamed] to show your face to the World.”

10.　チャーチルも「民主主義は最悪の政治であるが、いままで存在したいかなる政治制度よりましである」と、その欠点を認めている。

Churchill’s quote that “democracy is the worst [form of] government but it’s better than all other government systems that have existed.” recognizes this defect.

11.賢人支配の独裁制に戻したほうがいいかといえば、独裁者がいつも賢人である保証はない。

Even if you were to say we should return to a despotism of ruler-ship by a wise man, there would be no guarantee that the despot would continue to be a wise man.

12.中小企業がやっとの思いで納めた十万円に価値を認めるのが政治である。

(Not clear without context.)

13.　保守主義の根本理念の一つは謙虚さである。

The main idea of conservatism is humbleness

14.　決断に際して最も信頼できる拠り所となるのは、先人が残してくれた伝統的な社会規範、すなわち「お天道様」であり「世間様」である。

The best foundation for making decisions is by looking at the normative consciousness that our forefathers have left to us. In other words “The Sun” and “the World”.

15.　日本人が失われつつある伝統的な社会規範を取り戻すためにも、自民党政治は、郵政改革と同様の情熱で、憲法改正、教育基本法の改正に取り組み、教育や相続制度のあり方、そして家業、家族をどう維持するかに答えを出さねばならないと思う。

In order to get back the traditional societal norms Japanese have lost, the LDP will, with the same fervor with which the postal system was reformed, strive to revise the constitution and to revise the fundamental law of education, (to make) the educational (system) and the inheritance system what it should be. And we must answer the question of how to support families and family businesses.

16.　伝統的な社会規範、人間の力を尊重し、それを取り戻す手を打つことによって、小泉改革に初めて車の両輪が揃（そろ）い、日本の将来に資する真の改革になると私は考える。

I think that depending on how well we can return to our traditional societal norms respect for human ability, then we will be able to move forward the reforms started by Koizumi.