Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a discussion with U.S. experts on Asian problems. Several of the U.S. participants stated that the new junior high-school history textbook issued by Fuso Publishing Co. was a "swing to the right." Since Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka has said publicly that "before my appointment as foreign minister, I thought there were some people who were twisting the facts," it is not really surprising that U.S. experts on Asian affairs see the textbook in this light. However, it is necessary to stop and think for a moment. To put the question in simpler terms, should today's Japan be seen as a normal nation or an abnormal nation?

Among the people who say that the new textbook is a swing to the right or that the facts are being twisted, with due respect, it is doubtful whether they have actually read the textbooks to confirm their opinions. Do they have any grounds for saying that the previous textbooks were proper? And it is not only a question of textbooks. Not long ago Japan enacted legislation on the national flag and national anthem. Isn't the enactment of this legislation itself an abnormal situation, with no precedent in other countries? I would like to hear the views of U.S. experts when they see that many young Japanese people do not try to sing their country's national anthem or do not know the words.

Is the present Japanese Constitution appropriate for the international environment surrounding Japan, which includes countries that ignore Japan's sovereignty? Because of the stipulation in paragraph two of Article 9, the government has to state that the Self-Defense Forces are not a military force and that Japan has the right of self-defense but cannot exercise that right. Proclaiming that the present situation is normal is simply a joke.