동북아역사재단 2023년 05월호 뉴스레터
- Cho Yoon-soo, Director of NAHF International Relations and Historical Dialogue Research Institute
At the end of March every year, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan(MEXT) announces the results of the textbook screening. It’s known as the “calendar variable” since it is repeated every year. Without exception, MEXT announced the screening results of elementary school textbooks for 2024 on March 28th of this year. The recent announcement was for textbooks that applied for screening in April and May of 2022 and is the second announcement since the revision of the elementary school curriculum in 2017. The details do not significantly differ from 2019. Japanese textbooks for elementary schools became a diplomatic issue since textbooks began to include maps and descriptions of Dokdo in 2010. Only one elementary school textbook screened in 2010 included Dokdo, but this deepened Japan’s distortion of the island at every announcement of the screening.
Descriptions such as “illegal occupation” and “an inherent part of the Japanese territory” expanded in 2014, and the explanation of Dokdo relatively increased in 2019, which included visual aids such as maps and photos. Teaching “Dokdo is currently illegally occupied by Korea and Japan is protesting to recover Dokdo, a Japanese territory” could develop prejudices about Korea in Japanese students. There are concerns of elementary school textbooks may expand the distorted historical awareness to Japanese children who are learning history for the first time. Descriptions of Korea in social studies textbooks indicate the historical awareness of Japan. In this section, descriptions related to Dokdo and Korean history in 14 social studies textbooks in grades three to six that passed the 2023 screening will be reviewed while also examining Japan’s policies on textbooks. Publishers that applied for the screening are Tokyo Shoseki, Kyoiku Shuppan, and Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan.
Screening standards of textbooks, curriculum guidelines, and descriptions of Dokdo
The Japanese government revised the Fundamental Law of Education in December 2006. The revised Fundamental Law of Education emphasizes the pride and patriotism of Japan and clearly states the necessity of education on Japanese territory. The standards of writing and screening of elementary school textbooks follow the 2017 curriculum guidelines. The “commentary on the curriculum guidelines” is a detailed explanation of the curriculum guidelines, and it states that the specified information must be reflected in textbooks.
A textbook cannot pass the review and be used in schools if related information is not included. The curriculum guidelines and the accompanying commentary generally do not specify detailed descriptions; however, information on Dokdo was specified unprecedentedly in detail(summarized in the box below). This demonstrates Japan’s strong determination to reflect the government’s stance on the territorial issue of Dokdo in textbooks.
Details on Dokdo in curriculum guidelines and commentary 2017 • “5th-Grade Social Studies Textbooks” in the curriculum guidelines(announced in March 2017): Include the fact that “Takeshima”(a name of Dokdo claimed by Japan), northern territories, and the Senkaku Islands are integral parts of Japanese territory for “Japan’s Territory” • “5th-Grade Social Studies Textbooks” in the commentary on the curriculum guidelines(announced in July 2017): Specify “Takeshima,” northern territories, and the Senkaku Islands as integral parts of Japanese territory regarding the country’s territory. (…) It is important to specify that “Takeshima,” northern territories(the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu), and the Senkaku Islands are inherent parts of Japan’s territory and that these territories have never been part of other country’s territory when teaching about the Japanese territory. |
Looking at the textbooks that passed the recent screening, 3rd and 4th-grade textbooks have a map that includes Dokdo without an explanation of the island. Description of Dokdo is often seen in 5th and 6th-grade textbooks. All these textbooks specify that “Takeshima is an inherent part of the Japanese territory.” Only two publishers-Tokyo Shoseki and Kyoiku Shuppan-use phrases like “illegally occupied by Korea” and “Japan continues to protest.”
The only description of Dokdo pointed out in the screening process was in a 6th-grade social studies textbook by Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan. The company was requested to revise the phrase “northern territories and Takeshima are Japanese territories” to “northern territories and Takeshima are inherent parts of the Japanese territory.” The screening committee instructed the publisher to clarify the expressions on the territorial claim that describing Dokdo as just “Japanese territories” can be highly misleading for students when most elementary school textbooks in Japan describe Dokdo as “an inherent part of the Japanese territory.” The 5th-grade social studies textbook published by Tokyo Shoseki changed “illegally occupied by Korea” to “illegally occupied by Korea since around 70 years ago” to specify the time Korea began to “illegally occupy” the island to further emphasize that it is “an inherent part of the Japanese territory.”
Most maps that include Dokdo mark it as a territory of Japan with a dot with labels of Japan’s exclusive economic zone and territorial waters. Given that islands bigger than Dokdo were not labeled, indicating Dokdo with a dot to include it as Japan’s territory can be seen as intense pressure from the Japanese government. Japan’s claim that Dokdo is “an inherent part of the Japanese territory” and “illegally occupied by Korea” in 2019 has become firmer in 2023. The below table shows how Dokdo is described in Japanese elementary school textbooks.
Description of Dokdo in Japanese elementary school textbooks
| 5th Grade | 6th Grade | ||||
Tokyo | Nihon Bunkyo | Kyoiku | Tokyo | Nihon Bunkyo | Kyoiku | |
An inherent part of the Japanese territory | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Illegally occupied by Korea | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| ○ |
Continue to protest against Korea | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| ○ |
Efforts to negotiate with Korea |
|
| ○ |
|
| ○ |
Respond prudently for a resolution |
|
|
|
| ○ |
|
Communicate Japan’s stance to the international society |
|
| ○ |
|
|
|
Description of Korean history
Japan starts teaching the history of their country in 6th grade and information related to Korea is part of it. The first striking description is about conscription. The term “volunteer” was added to minimize the coerciveness. “Conscription” is the compulsory enlistment of those obligated to military service under the state mandate. The textbook published by Tokyo Shoseki is used the most in elementary schools in Japan. The 6th-grade social studies textbook changed “Korean men were conscripted into the Japanese army” to “Korean men enlisted in the Japanese army as soldiers and conscription was later introduced.” The caption of the photo next to the column with this phrase changed “Young Korean men who became soldiers” to “Young Koran men who voluntarily enlisted to become soldiers.” Elementary school students who read only these textbooks without background on the history of imperial Japanese occupation will misconceive that young Koran men voluntarily enlisted to become soldiers and engage in the workforce.
The Cabinet of Japan decided on April 27, 2021 that the expression “forced mobilization” or “taken” regarding Koreans is not appropriate. Tokyo Shoseki replaced the term “taken,” which is close to the nature of forced mobilization, in the phrase “many Koreans and Chinese were forcibly taken” with “gathered.” Elementary school textbooks also demonstrate that they have followed the decision of Japan’s Cabinet.
The massacre after the Great Kanto earthquake, which marks the 100th anniversary this year, has challenges in learning the truth of the event as there is no record of the main culprit behind the massacre. Tokyo Shoseki and Kyoiku Shuppan sidetracked from the issue as they indicate the cause of the massacre after the Great Kanto earthquake as the false rumor of “Koreans have poisoned the wells.” Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan explained the event with keywords, and the passage that many Koreans were massacred due to the spread of the false rumors of “Koreans have poisoned the wells” were deleted in the 2023 textbook. The information related to the massacre was reduced significantly.
In addition, expressions related to doraijins(ancient migrants to Japan from Korea and China) were removed or changed to “continent” in the ancient history sections regarding Korea’s influence on Japan. The passages about the Imjin War were simplified to “Japan sent a large force to Joseon over two occasions,” describing the war of aggression as simply sending forces. There are also textbooks that removed any sections regarding the harm suffered by Joseon. But there are also friendly accounts. Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan added a passage that Japan has made an effort for friendship with Joseon by playing host for the Joseon Tongsinsa and presented the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan as an example of friendly relations between the two countries. Some improvements can also be examined as the phrase “there were intense resistance movements across Korea from those who opposed the Japanese colonial rule” was added regarding Japan’s forced annexation of Korea.
Attacks on textbooks by Japanese history revisionists began in the mid-1990s and now became mainstream as the attacks spread in an organizational manner by conservative politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party, conservative media, and right-wing civic groups. Their attacks led to achieving and institutionalizing the revision of the screening standards under Shinzo Abe’s administration. In 2014, a revision was made to the description of Dokdo for the screening process of elementary school textbooks by MEXT according to the Japanese government’s stance. Japan’s textbook screening system can only expect to continue to repeat the distortion of history and territory in textbooks by advising the writing staff on the phrases allowed and not allowed in textbooks. Especially since textbooks cannot pass the screening if the writing staff does not describe Dokdo as “Japanese territory” or ignore the suggestion from the screening.
Korea also needs to speak up about the historical distortion by Japan. Meanwhile, there have been concerns raised about Japan’s screening system that education used as the government’s means to carry out their policies can inhibit the independence of education and learning. An exchange between textbook writing staff of both countries is also necessary as textbooks must reflect the comprehensive outcomes of academic studies. The differences in historical awareness can lead to prejudice and distrust in each other, and both countries must make an effort to reduce such differences.
Descriptions of Korean history and Dokdo in Japanese elementary school textbooks
Field | Publisher | Current(2019 screening) | New textbooks(2023 screening) |
Dokdo | Tokyo Shoseki | “Takeshima” is an inherent part of the Japanese territory and is illegally occupied by Korea, and Japan continues to protest against this. | “Takeshima” is an inherent part of the Japanese territory illegally occupied by Korea since around 70 years ago, and Japan continues to protest against this. |
Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan | The Japanese government is responding prudently to resolve the issue of northern territories and “Takeshima” which are Japanese territories. | The Japanese government is responding prudently to resolve the issue of northern territories and “Takeshima” which are inherent parts of the Japanese territory. | |
Korean history | Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan | A powerful earthquake struck the Kanto region on September 1, 1932… Many Koreans were massacred due to the spread of a false rumor that “Koreans have poisoned the wells.” | Passage deleted |
Hideyoshi sent large forces to Joseon which resulted in the devastation of Joseon territory and the killing of many Joseon people. | Daimyos returned their troops to Japan upon the death of Hideyoshi. This triggered the decline in Hideyoshi’s power. | ||
Tokyo Shoseki (6th-grade social studies) | Schools in Joseon that became Japan’s colony started teaching Japanese and did not teach the history of Joseon which became a deep wound in their pride. | Schools in Joseon that became Japan’s colony started teaching Japanese and strictly limited the teaching of Joseon culture and history. | |
Many Koreans and Chinese were forcibly taken. Korean men were conscripted into the Japanese army. Young Korean men who became soldiers... | Many Koreans and Chinese were forcibly gathered. Korean men enlisted in the Japanese army as soldiers and conscription was later introduced. Young Korean men who voluntarily enlisted to become soldiers... | ||
Kyoiku Shuppan (6th-grade social studies) | The Joseon people were required to change their names to Japanese names since becoming a colony or were conscripted to be soldiers for the Japanese army’s deployment to battlefields. | The Joseon people were required to change their names to Japanese names since becoming a colony or were conscripted into the Japanese army and sent to battlefields. |
동북아역사재단이 창작한 '갈수록 심화되는 일본의 역사왜곡 ⋯ 초등학교 교과서까지 확대' 저작물은 "공공누리" 출처표시-상업적이용금지-변경금지 조건에 따라 이용 할 수 있습니다.
