Japan Could Get ‘Takeshima’ Textbooks

Japanese vice ministers argued that primary, junior high, and high school textbooks should state Takeshima or Dokdo as Japanese territory at a Parliamentary undersecretaries’ meeting, Sankei Shimbun reported on May 12.

Hiroshi Hase, Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, said at a meeting the day before, “Of 91 kinds of Japanese primary and secondary school textbooks, only 29 books touched upon Takeshima issue and merely three of them clearly stated the issue.” Vice ministers from other ministries reportedly agreed with him, saying that they need to lay claim to Takeshima in the textbooks.

At last month’s meeting, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhisa Shiozaki said the Japanese government views Takeshima as illegally occupied by Korea and called on the Korean government not to use the words, “Korea’s effective rule” of the islets.

Young-A Soh sya@donga.com