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South Korea's Education Ministry on March 24 denounced a Japanese government panel's approval of high school textbooks containing what Seoul described as "historical distortions".

"The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Education expresses its deep regret over the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's decision to pass textbooks which claim territorial sovereignty over the Dokdo islets and distort historical facts based on the country's self-centric historical perspective, and hereby strongly urge rectification," the education ministry said in a statement.

The ministry took issue with what it saw as distorted facts in the Japanese textbooks, including Japan's claim of sovereignty over Dokdo and descriptions that downplay or conceal the wrongdoings of Japanese imperialism, such as forced labor and sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned Hirotaka Matsuo, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese embassy in Seoul, to lodge a formal complaint.

Last month, the Japanese education ministry approved a series of textbooks for use in high schools starting from the 2027 academic year. The textbooks cover subjects including Japanese history, world history, civics and geography, and largely resemble those approved four years ago, which also included the Japanese government's claim to Dokdo.

A textbook published by Japanese publisher Teikoku Shoin and approved by the ministry panel four years ago states, "Takeshima (the Japanese name for Dokdo) is Japan's inherent territory, incorporated into Shimane Prefecture under international law after the government declared in 1905, at home and abroad, that the islands belonged to Japan," and adds that South Korea is "illegally occupying" the islets.

When another Japanese publisher, Ninomiya Shoten, applied for textbook screening last year, it also included the claim that Korea was "illegally occupying" the Dokdo islets.

Japanese media reported that "no screening opinions were issued requiring descriptions based on the government's views regarding territory or historical perspectives in modern and contemporary history in geography, history and civics".

"Descriptions reflecting the government's position appear to have already permeated the textbooks," it added.

In Japan, civics broadly refers to social studies subjects such as politics, economics and ethics.

The Japanese government had already stipulated in the high school curriculum guidelines announced in March 2018 that textbooks should state that Dokdo is Japan's inherent territory and that Japan is making efforts to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute.

Content controlled

Japan controls textbook content through a three-stage system: the curriculum guidelines, commentary on the guidelines and the textbook screening process. The curriculum guidelines serve as the highest-level principle governing the other two stages.

Descriptions in history textbooks have also increasingly strengthened narratives suggesting there was no coercion involved in wartime labor mobilization or the sexual slavery of "comfort women".

In April 2021, the Japanese government adopted a written response to parliament stating that expressions such as "taken away" or "forcibly taken away" in reference to Koreans were inappropriate and that the term "mobilized" was more suitable.

Since then, the expressions "taken away" and "forcibly taken away" have disappeared from textbooks.

"The Korean government will continue to work toward creating an 'amiable new world based on true understanding and empathy between the two countries', in line with what the president had said during his speech to mark the March 1 Independence Movement," the education ministry said.

"It is all the more necessary for the Japanese government to show a responsible attitude … promote peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia," it added.

The Korea Herald, South Korea