Noda’s remarks on Korean sex slaves expected to trigger backlash



The Japanese government on Wednesday approved three new high school textbooks in the latest round of screenings that claim Dokdo as Japanese territory, instantly sparking a strong protest from the Korean government.

The Japanese education ministry announced the first results of the textbook screenings, which are running from 2012-2014 as part of the country’s 2008 and 2009 programs to enhance territory-related education in its schools.

Dokdo still remains a thorny issue between Korea and Japan. Located in the East Sea, the small islets are administered by Korea, which has its Coast Guard stationed there.

The newly adopted textbooks are scheduled to be used in Japanese high schools from March next year.

A total of 39 high school social studies textbooks have been submitted to the Japanese government for the first screenings, the official said. Japan has 103 social studies textbooks for high school students.

“Out of the 39 social studies textbooks, 21 claimed Dokdo was Japan’s territory. Of them, three have mentioned it for the first time, while the remaining 18 had originally claimed it,” the Korean government official said on condition of anonymity.

“We will strongly appeal to Japan, by summoning the Japanese ambassador or consul general to Korea,” he said.

Out of the 19 history textbooks submitted for the screenings, 12 mentioned Korean women who were forced to serve the Japanese military as sex slaves during World War II, he said.

Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Cho Byung-jae immediately appealed the Japan’s decision, urging it to make corrections in the content of the textbooks.

“Our government strongly appeals the approval of the high school textbooks which justified and embellished a distorted historical view, thus calling for fundamental corrections,” Cho said in a statement.

“It is deplorable that the victims who will suffer the most from the Japan’s textbook screenings will be Japanese youth, who are to shoulder Japan’s future.”

The bilateral relations of the two countries over the so-called “comfort women” is expected to deteriorate, as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihoko Noda reportedly said the Peace Statue -- a monument of a young Korean girl set up in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to highlight Korean sex slaves’ demands for the restoration of the victims’ honor -- distorted facts.

In response to a question by a Japanese lawmaker in Tokyo, Noda said the expression written on the statue, “issues of sex slaves for the Japanese military,” were incorrect, Sankei Shimbun reported on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Japanese foreign ministry plans to announce the 2012 Foreign Policy Blue Paper on April 6, which is likely to repeat the claim that Dokdo belongs to Japan.

In the past blue paper, Japan stated that “although Korea and Japan have a territory issue concerning Dokdo, the Japanese stance on Dokdo is consistent that it is Japan’s territory based on historical facts and international laws.”

By Kim Yoon-mi

(yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)