Japan dismisses Korea’s protest over history textbook

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday that Japan cannot accept Korea`s protest over Japanese middle school textbook, which asserts Japanese territorial ownership of Dokdo, Korea`s easternmost islets.

When asked about "Korea’s criticism over the textbook issue" during the press conference on Tuesday morning, he claimed that the textbook screening is carried out impartially and neutrally by private publishers based on Teachers’ Manual and professional, academic deliberations of the Textbook Screening Review Panel.

“Our country’s stance on Takeshima and history recognition have been consistent,” said Suga. On the question as to whether the Japanese government has delivered such opinions to the Korean government, he said that the Korean government protested to Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho who later delivered the Japanese government’s stance over the issue.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also told reporters that Japan’s position over Takeshima has been consistent in response to the Korean government’s protest. “We responded that such a protest is unacceptable,” said Kishida at the press conference.

Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party started Tuesday pursuing adoption of a resolution at the National Assembly to criticize Japan’s distortion of history and territorial claim over disputed the Dokdo islets, of which result remains to be seen.

At the party meeting to discuss countermeasures on the same day, Saenuri Rep. Hong Il-pyo mentioned that a resolution to urge Japan to cancel the screening approval on Japanese elementary school textbooks claiming Japan’s territorial ownership of Dokdo. The resolution had been submitted by New Politics Alliance for Democracy Rep. Yoo Ki-hong in April last year, but is still pending at the parliamentary standing committee. “The National Assembly must show strict response by adopting a strong resolution in condemnation of Japan’s historical distortions,” said Hong. The Assembly’s Special Committee on the Northeast Asia History Distortions plans to review an additional resolution to criticize Japan’s attempts to distort history on Friday at the earliest.

Saenuri’s Secretary General Lee Gun-hyeon also claimed, “The Ministry of Education must immediately revise and supplement the Korean history textbooks to strengthen history education based on accurate facts over Dokdo.”

bae2150@donga.com