Random Things About How Pearl Harbor Is Taught In Japanese Schools (14 items)

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  (#7) Teachers Were 'Distraught'

  From Redditor /u/kneeseekingarrow:

  I lived on a Japanese island called Okinawa, but on a military base. Our school was off base, and the Japanese women taught it as if they were very saddened and distraught about the whole incident. A lot of Japanese didn't [think] Pearl Harbor should have happened.
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  (#11) It Is 'Just A Footnote'

  Quotes from Japanese visitors to the Pearl Harbor memorial regarding what they were taught about the attack, via The New York Times, December 7, 1985, "For Most Japanese, Pearl Harbor is Just a Footnote": 

  • ''People aren't taught about this in school.''
  • ''Wars are often full of treacheries like that, aren't they? I don't think many people of my generation [in their 20s] think about the war anyway. It is only one piece of knowledge for the entrance examination.''
  • "[T]here is a very popular saying, 'Let the past drift away with the water' that fits Japanese sentiments.''
  • ''Japanese should remember Pearl Harbor, and Americans should remember Hiroshima.''
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  (#9) The Lessons Are Basically 'US-Approved'

  From teacher and Redditor /u/cheetahbear:

  I'm an English teacher in Japan and was invited to a lecture (my school really wanted me there) about this. The teacher spelled the problems that led Japan to war, then led a discussion. It ended with the children agreeing, that Japan had no right to wage war, and that the US acted rightly, having no choice but to retaliate. In another, less formal setting, a teacher/friend gave a quick talk to about 6 children, lauding MacArthur and explaining why declaring war on Japan was the appropriate response and why peace is so important. In short, the ww2 lessons would be US approved. At the same time though, on a subtle level, it seemed rehearsed. Not 100%, just enough to give a sliver of doubt.
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  (#10) 'Very Objectively, With Zero Emotion'

  Redditor /u/AsiaExpert, after translating a modern Japanese textbook:

  It translates simply as "on 1941, December 8th [this was the time it was in Japan during the attack], the Japanese task force attacked the American Pacific Fleet in port at Hawaii with the intent to deal a devastating blow. This was an attempt to acquire control of the seas. Simultaneous to the attack, Japanese forces launched attacks against British forces in Asia and moved with the intention of seizing Singapore." It was written very objectively, with zero emotion.
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  (#12) For Japan, The Conflict Had Already Been Ongoing

  According to Redditor /u/ywja, the attack on Pearl Harbor, when seen in a more global context, was really the beginning of the end of a war Japan had been fighting since 1937. Instead of the attack being seen as a catastrophic turning point that drew the US into WWII, it's merely seen by the Japanese as one more battle on a list. As Redditor /u/NotAlwaysSarcastic corroborated: 

  You make a good point on why Pearl Harbor is so significant for Americans. For the Japanese and actually to all the other participants of WWII, it was only one battle, although it's more significant than many others.
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  (#6) Consequences Are In The Spotlight

  Redditor /u/tophmcmasterson gives some perspective from behind the desk:

  I'm an English teacher at a public JHS and elementary schools in Japan, and the emphasis is definitely more on the bombs and the consequences of war and why it should be avoided.

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