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On a late March or early April day, we'll have another scuffle over Japan's history textbooks. How many times have we had this headache? I look back and realize that it has been recurring almost every year since the turn of the century. Some remedies or others have been sought, but the symptoms have been getting worse. The history-distorting virus has continued to evolve. This time, it comes from the Abe Shinzo (安倍晋三) cabinet, arguably the most right-wing government in Japan's history. As we are about to fight the 2013 battle, how should we prepare ourselves?

Prediction on This Year's Screening Results of Japan's Elementary and High School Textbooks

This year, as in the last, Japan will announce the screening results of high school and elementary school textbooks. In the case of high school textbooks, last year's results can be a good indicator of this year's results. Latest History of Japan by Meiseisha (明成社), the high school equivalent of 'JSHTR (Japan Society for History Textbook Reform),' was approved last year. It is generally thought that its controversial descriptions haven't changed much. It appears that the subject of controversy is expanding from history to territory, that is Dokdo. Of the 39 approved textbooks of geography, history, and civics, twenty-one textbooks described the Dokdo issue. And additional three new textbooks did the same. The revised Course of Study and its handbook are largely responsible for the increased Dokdo-related descriptions in these textbooks as well as in the middle school textbooks approved in 2011. The 2008 Course of Study for Middle School required that the textbooks include 'Japan's inherent territory' and 'areas currently under territorial dispute.' The Course of Study for High School issued the following year instructed that what was taught in middle school be enriched. In fact, these changes had been well anticipated since December 2006 when the first Abe cabinet revised the Framework Act on Education for the worse with emphasis on patriotism education. At the time, civil society groups in Japan expressed concerns that once the revised Framework Act on Education were in place, forcing patriotism to be taught in classrooms, "all textbooks would become like the textbooks by 'JSHTR.'" The virus spread by the Abe administration has continued to expand the areas of infection.

Both the Dokdo Issue and Japan's Perception of History Demand Our Attention

In the upcoming textbook ruckus, it seems absolutely necessary to observe historical perception, the perennial subject of controversy, in addition to the Dokdo issue. On April 10 last year, right after the high school textbook screening results were released, the LDP lawmakers involved in MEXT affairs and the 'Group of Lawmakers Worrying About Japan's Future and History Education (hereinafter the 'History Group') held a joint meeting. Abe Shinzo and other right-wing politicians had summoned the MEXT official, and they bashed him for not having issued any instructions to revise the expressions in the textbooks that 'comfort women' were 'mobilized' or 'taken away.'

Abe himself demanded to the official: "When I (Abe Shinzo) was the prime minister, I answered at the parliament hearing that 'so called "comfort women" had never been taken by force.' Since when has it changed? Why do you ignore (the government's answer)?" Whatever the MEXT official said in reply must have been unsatisfactory, as Abe said, "if that's your answer, you shouldn't have even bothered." The other lawmakers also condemned the officia, saying, "Are the examiner's opinions more important than the prime minister's?" Their insistence that the textbooks include the prime minster's personal perception and assessment of history instead of the findings of objective research is simply outrageous and perverted. In that meeting, history as science was dead. Only political monsters deficient in good common sense roamed around. It is that Abe and his followers who became the new leaders of Japan last December. The 'History Group' that was at the meeting had been organized early on as a behind-the-scene support group for JSHTR, and one of their secretary-generals was Abe. And many of their members are heavyweights in the incumbent Abe cabinet. For example, Abe the advisor in the group is the prime minister in the cabinet, and Huruya Geiji (古屋圭司) the chairman has become the chairman of the National Public Security Commission, and Shimomura Hakubun (下村博文) the secretary-general the MEXT minister.

Abe couldn't have been possibly involved directly in the second round of high school textbooks screening of which results would be released soon, because the screening took place while his predecessor Noda was in power. But if we remembered how last year Abe had summoned the MEXT official in charge of the screening and almost threatened him to whitewash history, we need to sit down and examine how perennially controversial issues like colonial rule, 'comfort women' forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military, and the Nanjing Massacre had been misrepresented. We also need to observe more closely than ever how the Abe administration will respond and deal with it when Japan's neighboring countries like Korea and China protest against their textbooks once the screening results are announced. When it comes to textbook screening, the true colors of the Abe cabinet as the most right-wing government of Japan since the World Ward II will start to be revealed from next year.

Let It Be Known That 'Japan's Wrongdoing' is a Crime Against Humanity

In this round of textbook screening, the Dokdo issue will be addressed as a hot controversy. If we look at how the past screening rounds had gone, we can see that interventions had been made in the form of making suggestions for revision, such as 'it's difficult to see that this passage is talking about the territory of our nation' or 'this can be misleading,' to induce the publishers to revise certain descriptions in their textbooks. And this round will be also an extension of the past rounds. But we are required to use wisdom in finding a balance in weights given to Dokdo and history in connection with our readiness for the 2013 battle and beyond. The way things have gone in recent years, too much mention of Dokdo has not only prevented ordinary Japanese from realizing that taking possession of Dokdo had been part of colonial rule, but it has often instigated the kind of 'primitive' nationalism: "Why not just mind our own business?" Consequently, the voices and activities of conscientious Japanese who address and criticize their nation's distortion of history are diminished and discouraged. The biggest rationale behind our criticism of Japan's claims to Dokdo and distortion of history is that fighting imperialist aggression and colonial rule is a universal challenge of mankind. The conflict between Korea and Japan isn't only about nationalism. If it appears that way to outsiders, it means that it will be a long way before the two countries can be reconciled over history. The 'comfort women' issue was recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives with their resolution and the rest of the world largely because efforts had been made to address and resolve the incidents of 'sexual violence on women during wartime' committed in 'imperialist Japan' and also other parts of the world. It's time to take one step further from 'bashing the bad Japan' to striving to realize and help others realize that 'Japan's wrongdoing' is a crime against humanity.'

I propose to make the year 2013 a turning point in changing our goal from fueling our anger to sharpening the edge of our anger. In doing so, we might find the ultimate cure for Dokdo and the distortion of history. Getting the distorted history right and making peace over history should bring a 'win-win' result to both Korea and Japan as good countries.

* Please understand that this column was written before Japan's high school textbook screening results were announced.