EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM & PRACTICE IN JAPAN

64	“II Japanese Educational Administration and Finance”	Previous	Next	JAPANESE

	Textbook authorization means that a book that is a candidate to be a school textbook is examined for whether it is proper for subject-use, and authorized as an appropriate book for use as a textbook. The process proceeds as follows: 1. An author or a publisher of a book applies for book authorization to the Minister of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). 2. The Minister of MEXT determines whether to authorize or disqualify the book as a text book based on hearings of the Textbook Survey and Authorization Council, and notifies the applicant of the results. 3. In the case of the reservations regarding the determination, the council needs to receive a notice regarding the examination and the submission of a modified schedule, undertake a hearing, and then make a decision either to authorize or disqualify the book. When the Minister is going to decide to disqualify a book, s/he notices the reasons for it beforehand and listens to objections from the book applicant. If an appeal is filed by the applicant within 20 days after receiving the notification of examination from the MEXT minister and, it is recognized as reasonable, and the Minister withdraws the initial notification in question.