Hiroshima mayor quotes prewar Imperial Rescript on Education in lecture at training for newly hired city employees, employs constitution preamble
Apr. 9, 2024
by Keiichi Nohira, Staff Writer
On April 8, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui gave a lecture at a training session for newly hired city employees, using materials that quoted parts of the prewar Imperial Rescript on Education. Mr. Matsui has continued utilization of such materials since fiscal 2012, the year after his inauguration as mayor. For fiscal 2024, he also added to the training materials part of the preamble to Japan’s constitution.
The closed-door training session, attended by around 300 new employees, was held at JMS Aster Plaza, located in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. Totaling 22 pages, the training materials were produced under Mr. Matsui’s supervision and announced by the city to the media. The materials introduce the city’s development initiatives and financial status.
In the training material section titled “As a mindset for living” is the expression, “It is important to accept the positives among everything developed by predecessors and pass them on to younger generations.” A quote from the rescript that emphasized the value of benevolence and public interest was included in the same way as in past training materials. “Our subjects, be affectionate to your brothers and sisters. Extend your benevolence to all pursue learning and cultivate arts, develop intellectual faculties, advance public good, and promote common interests,” read the quote. The materials also contained a section of the constitution’s preamble that refers to pacifism and spirit of international cooperation, including the phrasing, “We have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world.” The quotes used in the materials included English translations.
The new city employees who concluded the training provided a variety of responses to questions from the Chugoku Shimbun — “It is important to understand a variety of different ideas”; “I think the city is being inconsistent when it uses the wartime Imperial Rescript on Education for our training while conveying the tragedy of war”; and, “In fact, I don’t have much understanding of the rescript.”
Several groups have requested that the city stop quoting the rescript in its training. At a press conference held in March, Mr. Matsui said, “It is true that citizens hold different opinions on the issue, but I plan to use the materials with appropriate explanation.”
(Originally published on April 9, 2024)
On April 8, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui gave a lecture at a training session for newly hired city employees, using materials that quoted parts of the prewar Imperial Rescript on Education. Mr. Matsui has continued utilization of such materials since fiscal 2012, the year after his inauguration as mayor. For fiscal 2024, he also added to the training materials part of the preamble to Japan’s constitution.
The closed-door training session, attended by around 300 new employees, was held at JMS Aster Plaza, located in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. Totaling 22 pages, the training materials were produced under Mr. Matsui’s supervision and announced by the city to the media. The materials introduce the city’s development initiatives and financial status.
In the training material section titled “As a mindset for living” is the expression, “It is important to accept the positives among everything developed by predecessors and pass them on to younger generations.” A quote from the rescript that emphasized the value of benevolence and public interest was included in the same way as in past training materials. “Our subjects, be affectionate to your brothers and sisters. Extend your benevolence to all pursue learning and cultivate arts, develop intellectual faculties, advance public good, and promote common interests,” read the quote. The materials also contained a section of the constitution’s preamble that refers to pacifism and spirit of international cooperation, including the phrasing, “We have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world.” The quotes used in the materials included English translations.
The new city employees who concluded the training provided a variety of responses to questions from the Chugoku Shimbun — “It is important to understand a variety of different ideas”; “I think the city is being inconsistent when it uses the wartime Imperial Rescript on Education for our training while conveying the tragedy of war”; and, “In fact, I don’t have much understanding of the rescript.”
Several groups have requested that the city stop quoting the rescript in its training. At a press conference held in March, Mr. Matsui said, “It is true that citizens hold different opinions on the issue, but I plan to use the materials with appropriate explanation.”
(Originally published on April 9, 2024)
