Japan's Past, Japan's Future

Out of one man's frailty of health and youthful failure to resist aggressive war came a lifetime of courageous protest against the power of the state to control freedom of thought in postwar Japan. Ienaga tells of his decades-long court battle on behalf of truth in school textbooks in this modest but moving memoir of a dedicated 'historian of conscience.' -- Carol Gluck, Columbia University
The book is an autobiography of historian Ienaga Saburo, known for his decades-long court battle challenging the constitutionality of the government's school textbook screening system. The autobiography covers his recollections from infancy to the textbook trials up to the original publication. The translator provides an introduction of Ienaga and his times, including excerpts from his court testimony and recent interviews. * Japan Quarterly *
Ienaga Saburo has long carried on a courageous battle in Japan to free textbooks from government control. He has boldly exposed how history has been distorted in the interest of national pride. His story is an important and inspiring one. -- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States and professor emeritus of Political Science, Boston University
This autobiographical narrative tells a fascinating and stirring story that is virtually unknown in America. It centers on the long, brave struggle by Japan's leading historian to challenge the official custodians of historical truth who control Tokyo's Ministry of Education. Japan's Past, Japan's Future provides deep insight into the refusal to allow textbooks for all ages used throughout Japan to portray the grim realities of the country's dark history. -- Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University
Conveys the author's passionate regard for principle, his fascinating perspectives on a tumultuous era in Japanese history and commitment to democracy. * Times Higher Education *
Ienaga Saburo is an authentic 20th-century hero, and Minear has done a tremendous service with this translation of Ienaga’s memoir. . . . [It] gives an intimate portrait of Ienaga’s life, as both a scholar and a man of conscience. Minear’s translation is clear and graceful and brings Ienaga’s voice to an infinitely wider audience. * CHOICE *
This inspiring autobiography...proves that Ienaga is a world-class champion of democratic integrity combating oppressive conformity. * Asia Times *
For all those interested in academic freedom in individual conscience, and in the struggle over how to respond to the new Japanese middle-school history textbook, Ienaga's story is a salutary lesson. The translation by Richard H. Minear is fluid and very readable. -- Michael R. Auslin, Yale University * Journal of Asian Studies *
This is an invaluable contribution to English-speaking educational researchers and educators everywhere. * History of Education Quarterly *