South Korea protested that Japanese textbooks "distorted history" and urged Japan to "show sincerity"

On March 28th, 2023, local time in Seoul, South Korea, Ren Zhuyuan, spokesman of the Korean Foreign Ministry, answered questions about the examination and approval results of Japanese government primary school textbooks. Vision china diagram
On March 28th, local time, the South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned the Japanese general minister to lodge a solemn protest against the Japanese government’s approval of textbooks containing "improper claims". The South Korean side pointed out that these textbooks "distorted history" and played down the crimes committed during the Japanese aggression. At the same time, they advocated Japan’s sovereignty over Dokdo (called Zhudao in Japan). The South Korean side deeply regretted it and asked Japan to correct it.
Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced earlier that day that 149 primary school textbooks had been approved and will be used in the 2024 school year.
After analyzing the sample books, Yonhap News Agency found that the Japanese side played down what it did during its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 in the new textbooks. For example, when describing Koreans who were forcibly recruited into the army, the new textbook changed to the word "joining the army", which is consistent with the Japanese claim that these people "voluntarily" joined the army.
In another textbook, Japan called Zhudao its inherent territory, which was illegally occupied by South Korea at this stage.
This island is located in the eastern waters of the Korean peninsula, covering an area of about 0.18 square kilometers. South Korea, North Korea and Japan all claim sovereignty over it. At present, the island is actually controlled by South Korea.
In addition, the South Korean side also pointed out that the new Japanese textbooks downplayed the relevant expressions of forced labor during World War II.
On the 28th, Zhao Xiandong, the first official of the South Korean Foreign Ministry, summoned Naoki Kumatani, the Japanese ambassador to South Korea, to protest against the Japanese practice. According to South Korean media, due to the temporary return of Japanese ambassador to South Korea Xiang Xing Koichi, the South Korean side summoned Naoki Kumatani as the temporary charge d ‘affaires instead. On-site photos show that Naoki Kumatani walked into the South Korean Foreign Ministry building in Seoul with a serious expression.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Zhu Yong said in a statement that Japan’s claim to have sovereignty over Dokdo is "unreasonable" and unacceptable. South Korea deeply regrets and urges Japan to show sincerity and correct the problem.
An official of the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that although relations between South Korea and Japan have improved recently, territorial disputes, textbooks and "comfort women" between the two countries have not been resolved, and this has not changed. The ROK will continue to communicate with the Japanese side through diplomatic channels and demand that the textbook issue be corrected.
In response to the request of the ROK, the Japanese side has not responded.
This is not the first time that a "textbook storm" has occurred in Korea and Japan. In April, 2021, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan approved the application of five publishing houses to modify or delete the related expressions of "comfort women" in textbooks, and agreed to change "comfort women with the army" into "comfort women" and "forced removal" into "forced mobilization" or "expropriation" in an attempt to wash away the Japanese war crimes. The South Korean Foreign Ministry deeply regrets this and urges Japan to show its sincerity in solving historical problems between the two countries.









































