Approval today… Changed the expression of ‘being dragged’
In elementary school textbooks that will be used in Japan from next year, the expression “forced mobilization during the Japanese colonial era” either disappears or is vaguely described so that Japan’s responsibility is not revealed. The unreasonable claim that Dokdo is Japanese territory is also maintained.
According to Korean and Japanese diplomats on the 27th, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will hold a general meeting of the textbook approval review committee on the afternoon of the 28th and approve the textbook approval for 3rd to 6th grade elementary school students. Currently, a social studies textbook for sixth graders in Japanese elementary schools states, “As the war dragged on (omitted), a large number of Koreans and Chinese were forcibly brought in and forced to do harsh labor under poor conditions in factories and mines.” However, in the new textbooks, the expression ‘forced’ disappears, and there is a high probability that ‘being dragged’ will change to ‘participate’. If the Japanese government approves the textbook approval, the South Korean government plans to strongly protest to the Japanese government through diplomatic channels and invites high-ranking officials from the Japanese embassy in Korea to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Japan’s textbook removes ‘forced confinement’
Conscription evasion, Dokdo deterrence continues
Distortions in Japanese textbooks are getting bolder
The Japanese government’s distortion of textbooks is getting bolder year by year.
Since the revision of the Fundamental Law on Education by the Shinzo Abe administration in 2006, with each elementary, middle and high school textbook review conducted every four years, more ambiguous expressions are being used to evade the Japanese government’s responsibility for forced claims about Dokdo, forced mobilization, and comfort women victims.
At the 2021 cabinet meeting (State Council meeting), Japan adopted a National Assembly response saying that ‘the circumstances of workers entering Japan from the Korean Peninsula are diverse’ and that expressions such as forced confinement and forced labor are not appropriate, and this purpose is strongly reflected in textbooks. . Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa recently said at the National Assembly that the expression of forced mobilization was “not appropriate”.
A panoramic view of Dokdo and Seodo. news 1It is also known that the passage in textbooks describing Dokdo as Japanese territory will not be revised. All nine current Japanese elementary school textbooks state that ‘Dokdo is an inherent territory of Japan and is illegally occupied by Korea’.
A diplomatic source said, “At a time when President Yoon Seok-yeol made a major-national decision by restoring shuttle diplomacy to build future-oriented Korea-Japan relations, Japan’s backwardness in just 10 days, rather than a sincere response, puts cold water on the improvement of bilateral relations. It is an act of throwing,” he said.
In particular, it is pointed out that it is inconsistent with the position of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who said that he inherited the position of the previous cabinets on historical perception as a whole, including the 1998 Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Joint Declaration.
Some are keeping an eye on the fact that Japan’s distorted perception of history can have a negative impact on Korean public opinion toward Japan. A government official said, “If we have been in a position where we have fallen behind in Korea-Japan relations over the past few years, we have to do it confidently from now on.”
A key official in the presidential office said, “The relevant ministries will respond appropriately” to Japan’s move to distort textbooks.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.