Japan is unable to learn from history

The Japanese Cabinet deserves plaudits for uncovering hitherto undiscovered passages in Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf of such educational value that they could be used in the nation's classrooms. The cabinet, in its wisdom, confirmed on April 14 that Mein Kampf can be classified as appropriate teaching material for schools on the proviso that the book, and this requires the greatest discipline not to howl with derision, cannot in any way be used to promote racial discrimination.

The book was written during Hitler's time in prison following his failed 1923 putsch. It is part autobiography, manifesto, anti-Semitic diatribe and instructions on how to gain power. It became a bestseller from 1933, selling a total of 12.5 million copies. Finding any part of the book that could be useful for pupils would seem difficult and up until now beyond the capabilities of education authorities the world over.

That it should be advocated by the next host of the Olympic Games is beyond parody. Nor can it be considered a great, if poisonous, work of literature. It is dotted with clunky prose, generally poorly written and grammatically incorrect (it has often been called Sein Krampf or "His Cramp").