Revised Japanese Textbook 'More Subtle, More Dangerous'

 

Revised Japanese Textbook 'More Subtle, More Dangerous'

A revisionist middle-school history textbook published by a Japanese rightwing group in 2001, which boasts of keeping out "lies" including Japanese wartime atrocities like the Rape of Nanking and the conscription of "comfort women". The 2005 revised edition of a controversial Japanese middle-school textbook compiled by the country's Society for History Textbook Reform goes even further than the 2001 edition in distorting history. The revised text denies that the Japanese forced Koreans to adopt Japanese names during the colonial period and bolsters passages claiming Japan aided in Korea's modernization.   The edition, released Friday, excises all mention of "comfort women" - or Chongshindae in Korean - or Korean and Chinese resistance to the Japanese draft, while highlighting Japanese deaths during the Pacific War, portraying Japan as more victim than aggressor. In a press conference Friday, the Alliance for Asian Peace and History Education, composed of 80 civic groups like the Korea Chongshindae's Institute, Citizen's Coalition for Economic Justice and Young Korean Academy, made public the contents of the textbook, which was submitted for screening to the Japanese Education Ministry last April. The alliance obtained a copy of the text and asked experts to conduct an in-depth analysis. The Japanese government will announce the results of its screenings of eight middle school history textbooks including the Fusosha text on April 5. The revised text repeats the myth that classical Japan wielded military influence on the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and claims Japan had "no choice" but to occupy the Korean Peninsula at the turn of the 20th century because it threatened Japan. It also claims that Korean history began with the establishment of Chinese administrative regions by the Han Dynasty in the late 2nd century B.C., one of which -- Daebang-gun -- was located near Seoul. In describing Japan's pre-modern diplomatic relations, the text deals with the country's relations with Korea's Chosun Dynasty alongside those with Okinawa and Hokkaido, two regions that are now Japanese territory. By doing do, the text insinuates that Korea, too, was part of Japan. As part of its whitewash, the book also portrays the Russo-Japanese War and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria as unavoidable responses to Russian and Chinese provocations. Alliance for Asian Peace and History Education joint chairman Seo Jung-seok, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, said the revised text was more subtle and skillful than the previous edition in terms of system and descriptions but also potentially more dangerous to neighboring nations. Steering committee head Yang Mi-gang called for solidarity in the fight against Japanese history distortions among East Asians including conscientious Japanese citizens. (englishnews@chosun.com )

 

 

 

 

 

 

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