1998 Volume 65 Issue 3 Pages 205-213,286
In historical retrospect, a great deal of time has passed since some nation states started introducing compulsory education schemes. On the other hand, however, the newly established independent nation states are still struggling in their attempts to implement compulsory education systems that suit their own objectives. In these situations, it may be safely said against the background of human civilization, that the Fundamental Law of Education, together with its clause related to compulsory education, may entail the international relevance as norms. In particular, the peace-doctrine apparent in Japan's Constitution should be re-considered as a leading principle for re-structuring the world wide systems of polity, economy, and education for human kind. However, there are still be some issues for the Japanese to solve in relation to the fuller implementation of the ideals of the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education in order to bring about a more balanced system between polity and education. For example, the current definition of Japanese nationality excludes all minority groups currently living in Japan and those who may come in future. One possible solution can be, to find a viable way by which "new geopolitical areas" could replace nation states and re-define and guard new notions of citizenship. This could then lead to the abolition of "nationality" and its current form of legitimacy in today's "nation states."
