Rightist tendency a concern

A kindergarten in Osaka, Japan, was recently revealed to be instilling in its young charges ultra-nationalist ideas and anti-China and anti-Republic of Korea sentiment. The revelation came not long after the Japanese hotel chain APA was found to be placing books in its guest rooms that brazenly deny the Nanjing Massacre.

Such incidents, that occur one after another, have aggravated concerns about the rightist trend in Japanese society that is a reflection of the wrong perception of history held by the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and its policies regarding the country's imperialist history. It is reported that kids in this kindergarten are taught to bow to the emperor's statue and recite the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education, which demands loyalty to the emperor and sacrifice for one's country. Kids are also regularly organized to attend political rallies and distribute insulting materials against China and the ROK.

The Osaka kindergarten's authorities made an apology after its activities were revealed, but insisted that it was absolutely opposed to any "vicious criticism". In fact, Japanese society has increasingly displayed a tolerant attitude toward the growing rightist sentiment in recent years. In the eyes of many Japanese, Japan must shake off its historical burden to become a normal country.