Japanese Textbook States "Dokdo is Our Land"... Ministry of Education Strongly Urges Immediate Correction

Announcement of Test Results, Dokdo Referred to as 'Takeshima'
"Japan's Inherent Territory... Korea's Illegal Occupation" Description

Ministry of Education: "Repeated Historical Distortion Is a Shameful Act Deceiving the Past"
Hinders Reconciliation with Neighboring Countries and Threatens Northeast Asian Community

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Hyunjin Jung] The Ministry of Education has strongly urged immediate correction regarding the results of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's (MEXT) approval of junior high school social studies textbooks that claim Dokdo as Japanese territory.

According to the Sankei Shimbun and others on the 24th, MEXT submitted a written report on the approval results of junior high school textbooks containing such content to the Textbook Authorization and Investigation Council on the same day. Among the 17 textbooks approved in three subjects?Japanese social studies, history, civics, and geography?most included descriptions of Dokdo reflecting the Japanese government's perspective. The textbooks mostly referred to Dokdo as "Takeshima," asserting it as Japan's inherent territory and stating that "South Korea is illegally occupying" it.

The junior high school social studies textbooks approved in 2015 also included claims that South Korea is illegally occupying Dokdo. This claim appeared three times more frequently compared to the 2011 approval, causing controversy. The Abe Shinzo administration revised the textbook approval standards in 2014, requiring the description of a "unified government view" on modern and contemporary history, and explicitly stated claims such as "Dokdo is Japan's inherent territory" and "South Korea's illegal occupation" in the explanatory guide for junior and senior high school curriculum guidelines (a guideline serving as the basis for textbook production).

Japan has maintained a textbook authorization system since 1947. The education authorities review the textbooks submitted by publishers, provide investigation and approval opinions, and publishers revise the content of the books based on these to pass the approval. Only textbooks that pass the approval can be used in schools.

In this approval process, among nine history textbooks submitted, two, including the publisher Jiyusha's "New History Textbook," were rejected. All submitted textbooks in geography, civics, and maps (two types) were approved.

In response, the Ministry of Education stated, "The Japanese government's repeated historical distortion through textbooks is a shameful attempt to deceive and conceal the past," and added, "Textbooks that instill incorrect historical and territorial views in future generations hinder historical reconciliation with neighboring countries and directly threaten the future of the Northeast Asian community, causing significant harm."

The Ministry of Education said it will continue to point out the unfairness of Japan's historical distortion and territorial sovereignty infringement in textbooks and declared, "We will actively respond in cooperation with related organizations, private, and social groups until the Japanese government corrects this."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.