Public schools to teach patriotism; Defense Agency gets status as ministryTOKYO: Japan broke two postwar taboos Friday, as its Parliament voted to bring patriotism back into the classroom and to expand the status and mission of its military forces.
Parliament enacted a law revising the country's 1947 Fundamental Law of Education, drafted during the U.S. occupation to prevent a revival of prewar nationalism in Japan. The new education law stresses "love of country," "public spirit" and "tradition," and gives the country's political leadership greater control over the schools.