On March 31, the Civil Solidarity for Historical Justice and Peaceful Relationship between Korea and Japan held a press conference titled “Condemning Japan’s Shameless Distortion of High School History Textbooks.”
On March 25, Japan’s Ministry of Education approved new high school textbooks for first and second-year students that distort historical facts regarding Dokdo, forced labor, and the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
The textbooks claim that the 1910 annexation of Korea was legal under international law and emphasize Japan’s sovereignty over Dokdo. They deny forced mobilization during the colonial period, describing labor mobilization through legal procedures. They also state that all legal and moral responsibilities for Japan’s colonial rule were resolved through the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations and the Claims Agreement. The coercive nature of the Japanese military “comfort women” system is also downplayed.
Japan’s textbook distortion did not begin recently. As early as 2018, its official curriculum guidelines described the Russo-Japanese War as a war of liberation and mandated that students be taught that Dokdo is Japan’s inherent territory.
Such ongoing historical distortion is becoming increasingly severe. The distortion of history through textbooks is especially serious, as it shapes the historical understanding of future generations in Japan.
On March 31, the Civil Solidarity for Historical Justice and Peaceful Relationship between Korea and Japan held a press conference titled “Condemning Japan’s Shameless Distortion of High School History Textbooks.”
On March 25, Japan’s Ministry of Education approved new high school textbooks for first and second-year students that distort historical facts regarding Dokdo, forced labor, and the Japanese military “comfort women” issue.
The textbooks claim that the 1910 annexation of Korea was legal under international law and emphasize Japan’s sovereignty over Dokdo. They deny forced mobilization during the colonial period, describing labor mobilization through legal procedures. They also state that all legal and moral responsibilities for Japan’s colonial rule were resolved through the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations and the Claims Agreement. The coercive nature of the Japanese military “comfort women” system is also downplayed.
Japan’s textbook distortion did not begin recently. As early as 2018, its official curriculum guidelines described the Russo-Japanese War as a war of liberation and mandated that students be taught that Dokdo is Japan’s inherent territory.
Such ongoing historical distortion is becoming increasingly severe. The distortion of history through textbooks is especially serious, as it shapes the historical understanding of future generations in Japan.