Japan's approval of contentious elementary school textbooks draws condemnation
Japan on Tuesday controversially approved the use of elementary school textbooks which reference its territorial claims over certain islands, in a move that has already been condemned by Japan's closest neighbors.
The six social studies textbooks to be used by fifth and sixth graders were screened by the Education Ministry and follow the stance of the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, known for its revisionist and distorted views of history and territory.
The textbooks all reference the South Korea-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, as being an "inherent part of Japan's territory."
The move was swiftly condemned Tuesday by South Korea's Foreign Ministry in a statement.
The statement said that it denounced Japan's authorization of primary school textbooks laying an unjust territorial claim over the Dokdo islets, which are South Korea's territory historically, geographically and according to international law.
South Korea, while summoning Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine to lodge a stern protest, urged Japan to immediately retract its authorization of the textbooks on the grounds it would misinform students and lead to bilateral ties becoming further strained.
In addition, the textbooks cite China's Diaoyu Islands, which have inherently been part of Chinese territory since ancient times, as belonging to Japan, despite repeated calls from China for Japan to adopt a correct historical view when it comes to educating its youth.
Russian-held islands claimed by Japan, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, are also referenced as being inherently Japanese in the textbooks currently being used here.
The contentious elementary school textbooks were screened by Japan's Education Ministry based on the government's curriculum guidelines adopted in 2017.
The guidelines inform the curriculum for the 2020 academic year from April 1, 2020.
