Schools are being forced to use a textbook that was picked by officials who are out of touch with classrooms. The decision will likely lead to a decline in morale among teachers.

Family values usually reflect societies attitudes. Therefore I am confused.

Prioritise family values? How depressing for those poor teachers who just hate the thought of having to face well-brought-up students.

As for justifying the war, well, that's the Old Boys Club's favourite hobby, so no surprise there.

officials who are out of touch

Could be said about most of the societal problems in Japan. The old boys' club patriarchy is killing Japan.

@John-San

You will find that a goodTeacher will skip over sections needing updating

I agree, but the problem is that the person who sets the standardized entrance exams might take a different view. For many Japanese parents, a good teacher is one who helps the kids memorize the answers they will need to regurgitate in order to pass a test.

With easy to access historical info online, pupils will challenge teacher quoting from the Textbook. Any good Teacher would not want to be put in this position. You will find that a goodTeacher will skip over sections needing updating. I would suggest this happen and Teacher will be advise to make their own decision (in-house ) on how they will deal with this when it occur.

I understand why critics are against textbooks that justify the war, but why are they against those that prioritize family values?

Simple because family vales THE POWERS THAT BE want to teach lead the following & more(worse):

Education in Japan has traditionally prioritized group values which has resulted in a population whose lives revolve around their company/group affiliations rather than their family — consequently chronic and extended overtime and regular work-related drinking engagements. More priority placed on family values might actually help to reverse the falling birthrate.

So I for one am GLAD they are calling the govt out on this!!

The claims of right-wing pols that their values and policies prioritize family values can be seen as pure cant when exposed to objective scrutiny. I'm frankly sick of hearing this bull-cr*p which always follows the same pattern of brainwashing: Who do you believe? Me or your lying eyes and ears? Anyone with a functioning brain can see straight through this pathetic attempt to control people's thoughts. The demands of our highly competitive capitalist system on each individual burdened by a multitude of financial and social obligations ensure that the human environment of the family and the health of inter-personal relations are severely compromised. The instruments of oppression take the form of the education system that removes children from their parents in preparation for their exploitation by the state and by private companies that will result in removing the father / mother from the children. The old Japanese fascist slogan of pre-war education 滅私奉公　（erase individuality - serve the public good), translated literally from the Nazi slogan inscribed on German coins (Gemeinnutz vor Eigennutz) is nowadays never heard, but this ideology survived the atomic bombs and still serves as a tool of social engineering and control of the citizenry. To paraphrase Goering, when I hear the words " family values" (democracy), I reach for my pen (gun).

...civics textbooks for Yokohama and Osaka junior high schools that critics claim justify the war and prioritize family values.

I understand why critics are against textbooks that justify the war, but why are they against those that prioritize family values?

Education in Japan has traditionally prioritized group values which has resulted in a population whose lives revolve around their company/group affiliations rather than their family — consequently chronic and extended overtime and regular work-related drinking engagements. More priority placed on family values might actually help to reverse the falling birthrate.