[Effect of school education on students' perception of radiation].

There is a strong tendency in Japan to perceive even the smallest amount of radiation or radioactivity as dangerous or detrimental. An investigation was done to identify the age at which this perception is formed. It was found that the perception was initially formed during elementary school, especially when the description of an atomic bomb was given during the history course, which is part of the sociology curriculum. The description in the sociology textbook emphasizes the damage produced by radiation. In contrast, the textbook has few descriptions of the positive uses of radiation. The perception, formed in elementary school, of radiation as something dangerous and detrimental remains vivid until adolescence. The only textbook to correctly describe the benefits of radiation was a high school physics textbook. However, only 30% of high school students take physics. The system of selecting science subjects in high school is preventing students from obtaining a correct understanding of radiation. Little improvement can be found in the latest textbook published following the 2002 governmental guidelines for education.