Spotlight on patriotic education in China after stabbing of Japanese schoolboy

Click HERE

learning from history is “not for perpetuating hatred but for avoiding the tragedy of war from repeating itself”.

When Mr Abe was assassinated in Japan in July 2022, eateries in China ran promotions to “celebrate” his death.

burnish the CPC’s credentials in resisting the Japanese invasion...Chinese historical narratives on Japan have changed over time, based on the political objectives of the CPC. For instance, in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping, official propaganda started to focus more on Japanese wartime atrocities and heroic Chinese resistance fighters as part of efforts to boost the CPC’s legitimacy.

Chinese accounts have been one-sided and offer only a partial truth by neglecting other aspects of history that could provide balance...These include the generous economic aid provided by Japan to China that helped the Chinese economy to take off after the war, and the changes in Japanese society since then.

Chinese history education and the narratives in the mass media as a big contributing factor to the situation today (of an antagonistic view towards Japan)...patriotic education in school often focuses on foreign invaders, and patriotic language is often mixed with insults and ridicule, including terms such as “Japanese devils”...possible negative effects of patriotic education, believes that whether intentional or not, educators have sown the seeds of hatred in the hearts of students, to varying degrees.

Even if Japan has committed heinous crimes against China, every later generation of ordinary Japanese people should not be asked to pay for them anew. “When will the cycle of revenge end? The bitter taste experienced by the older generation is passed on to the next. This makes no sense

Qns:

1. How far is it possible for one country to forgive another for its past actions? (Cam. 2015)

2. ‘The past is not dead; it is not even past.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2017)

3. Can we eliminate violence with education? (CJC Prelim 2018)