In the postwar educational system, students with good memorization skills are regarded as exemplary. However, I believe that truly talented people are the ones with creativity and conceptual skills, which allow them to make accurate predictions about the future. The so-called “elite” use rote memory to answer test questions within a time limit. This is not actually what “elite” means; on the global stage, elite figures are those who draw on their wisdom to choose the best options. They understand the present circumstances, predict what will happen in the future, and decide how to respond.
In contrast, Japanese education is based on an erroneous standard. It turns out people who are good at memorizing, rather than focusing on creativity, conceptual skills, or the ability to make future predictions. Since World War II, our educational system has produced few people like the talented Japanese citizens of the past.
Unlike today, Japanese people used no computers to construct the Yamato, which was the world’s largest warship at that time. Our small Asian country also built the Zero, the best fighter aircraft of its era, and used it to achieve great results in combat. It is thanks to this technological heritage that Japan grew into the number-two economic power after World War II.
In the postwar era, some have scathingly criticized the Yamato as a useless, antiquated ship. Inoue Kazuhiko won the 6th APA Japan Restoration Grand Prize for his book, Distorted Truth: The Showa War (Greater East Asia War). He pens a column for zakzak, the website of Yukan Fuji magazine, also titled “Distorted Truth.” The December 7, 2023 article read as follows:
“We must not forget the foundation upon which Japan became a major technological power in the postwar era, such as the sciences, technologies, and management methods used to build the Yamato and other warships. Since World War II, mammoth tankers are manufactured using technologies based on Japan’s advanced warships, including the Yamato. I think this perspective greatly changes the way we should evaluate Yamato.”
We cannot survive the coming era if we continue relying on the same old abilities. Japan needs an educational system that cultivates creativity, conceptual powers, and the ability to predict the future. Some believe that prewar education is superior to postwar education. Modern people are not good at creating something without using the Internet or computers. Today’s educational system has made Japanese people forget their forebears who built the unprecedented Yamato battleship and cutting-edge Zero aircraft. We must remember that Japan became the world’s number-two economic power only because its citizens were capable of those things.
Japan’s first task is to reform its educational system to develop creative skills, rather than rewarding people who are good at memorization. By doing so, Japan should regain strong economic power that outstrips the United Kingdom, United States, France, and Germany. After all, an ethnic group cannot survive if it loses sight of its nation’s history.
Vice-admiral Ichimaru Rinosuke, who died in action during fierce fighting on Iwo Jima during the Greater East Asia War, wrote a letter to American President Franklin D. Roosevelt from a cave 20 meters below ground. He also had it translated into English, and the texts are available on Wikisource (an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation). Ichimaru was a rear admiral when he wrote this letter, then was promoted to vice-admiral after his death in battle. The translation reads:
Approximately a century has elapsed since Nippon, after Commodore Perry’s entry to Shimoda, became widely affiliated with the countries of the world. During this period of intercourse Nippon has met with many national crises as well as the undesired Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, the World War, the Manchurian Incident, and the China Incident. Nippon is now, unfortunately, in a state of open conflict with your country.
Judging Nippon from just this side of the screen you may slander our nation as a yellow peril, or a blood thirsty nation or maybe a protoplasm of military clique.
Though you may use the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour as your primary material for propaganda, I believe you, of all persons, know best that you left Nippon no other method in order to save herself from self-destruction.
His Imperial Highness, as clearly shown in the ‘Rescript of the Founder of the Empire’ ‘Yosei’ (Justice), ‘Choki’ (Sagacity) and ‘Sekkei’ (Benevolence), contained in the above three fold doctrine, rules in the realization of ‘Hakko-ichiu’(the universe under His Sacred Rule) in His Gracious mind. The realization of which means the habitation of their respective fatherlands under their own customs and traditions, thus insuring the everlasting peace of the world.
Emperor Meiji’s ‘The four seas of the world that are united in brotherhood will know no high waves nor wind’ (composed during the Russo-Japanese War) won the appraisal of your uncle, Theodore Roosevelt as you yourself know.”
We, the soldiers of the Imperial Fighting Force take up arms to further the above stated ‘doctrine’.
Though we, at the time, are externally taken by your air raids and shelling backed by your material superiority, spiritually we are burning with delight and enjoying the peace of mind.
This peacefulness of mind, the common universal stigma of the Nippon-jin, burning with fervour in the upholding of the Imperial Doctrine may be impossible for you and Churchill to understand.
I hereupon pitying your spiritual feebleness pen a word or two.
Judging from your actions, white races especially you Anglo-Saxons at the sacrifice of the coloured races are monopolizing the fruits of the world.
In order to attain this end, countless machinations were used to cajole the yellow races, and to finally deprive them of any strength.
Nippon in retaliation to your imperialism tried to free the oriental nations from your punitive bonds, only to be faced by your dogged opposition. You now consider your once friendly Nippon a harmful existence to your luscious plan, a bunch of barbarians that must be exterminated.
The completion of this Greater East Asia War will bring about the birth of the East Asia Co-Prosperity Area, this in turn will in the near future result in the everlasting peace of the world, if, of course, is not hampered upon by your unending imperialism.
Why is it that you, an already flourishing nation, nip in bud the movement for the freedom of the suppressed nations of the East.
It is no other than to return to the East that which belongs to the East.
It is beyond our contemplation when we try to understand your stinted narrowness.”
Studying the condition of the never ending racial struggle resulting from mutual misunderstanding of the European countries, it is not difficult to feel the need of the everlasting universal peace.
Present Hitler’s crusade of ‘His Fatherland’ is brought about by no other than the stupidity of holding only Germany, the loser of the World War, solely responsible for the 1914-1918 calamity and the deprivation of Germany’s re-establishment.
It is beyond my imagination of how you can slander Hitler’s program and at the same time cooperate with Stalin’s ‘Soviet Russia’ which has as its principle aim the ‘socialization’ of the World at large.
If only the brute force decides the ruler of the world, fighting will everlastingly be repeated, and never will the world know peace nor happiness.
Upon the attainment of your barbaric world monopoly never forget to retain in your mind the failure of your predecessor President Wilson at his heights.”
Because Ichimaru knew that American soldiers were searching the personal belongings of deceased Japanese servicemen, he gave Japanese- and English-language copies to different Japanese soldiers. After “A Note to Roosevelt” was found on the bodies of two soldiers who died in battle, it was covered in the American news media, and today these copies are carefully stored at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis. However, most Japanese people are unaware of Ichimaru’s letter. It is obvious that America’s global strategy was based on its belief that the U.S. and white race were superior to all others. Even if it defeated Germany, the U.S. was facing the serious issue of how to handle the Soviet Union, which had provided a great deal of assistance. In this way, the two nations were drawn into the Cold War after the end of World War II. Ichimaru was a man with cool-headed, keen insight about the global circumstances of his time. In my opinion, we clearly need to bring back the educational methods of the pre-war period. In our chaotic modern era, Japan needs people like Ichimaru with creative power and steely strength, who are capable of analyzing information and predicting the future.
June 18 (Tuesday), 5:00 p.m.