Letter written in response to the article "Awkward Japan" in the Washington Post

By Mr. Satoru Satoh

Minister for Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan in the United States of America

Dear Sir/Madam,

I regret that your editorial entitled "Awkward Japan"(July 11)/Japanese Malaise"(July 12) includes misunderstandings relating to Japan, which leads to erroneous conclusions.

Firstly, in relation to Japan's judicial system, high conviction rates in Japanese courts should not be interpreted as indicative of the abuse of civil liberties of suspects as the editorial insinuates. Japan's judicial system ensures due process and fairness. Under the Japanese Criminal Procedure Code, prosecutors should scrutinize whether there is sufficient evidence, in order to indict only the suspects whose offense prosecutors are convinced of. We believe that through such processes, innocent suspects should be relieved at an early stage of procedures. The apparent high rates of conviction in Japanese criminal procedures is, therefore, an outcome of such early scrutiny and is not because of "illiberal severity" imposed on suspects.

With regard to the textbook issue, Japan's textbook authorization system is "not designed for the Government of Japan to define specific historical perspectives or outlooks," to quote the statement of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo FUKUDA on April 3. The system reflects the constitutional requirement to minimize governmental intervention in textbook authors' freedom of expression. This time eight history textbooks for junior high schools have been authorized, and are subject to adoption by each local board of education.

The editorial seemingly criticizes the composition of the Textbook Authorization Council, insinuating that the Government of Japan did not ensure a balanced view of history. In fact, to produce a balanced outlook, members of the Council are composed of experts in various fields. The Council acts independently of the government with no intervention from the latter, thus ensuring textbook authors' freedom of expression.