Textbook Group In Japan Assails Rejection Push

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Textbook Group In Japan Assails Rejection Push

TOKYO - The Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, which wrote the controversial right-wing Japanese history textbook, is criticizing Korea and Japanese civic groups for working to get education boards to reject the book.

"The South Korean government is continuing to take retaliatory action that disregards etiquette and diplomatic norms for dealing with a foreign country," an official of the group said Thursday.

It also criticized the Asahi Shimbun, a major Japanese daily paper that has opposed the textbook, as "speaking for the Korean government and vulnerably exposing the Japanese people to threats."

The Japanese Ministry of Education, on the other hand, sent notices to education boards nationwide demanding fairness in the selection of history textbooks.

"In some regions, there are organized movements that could affect the fair selection of textbooks," the notice read.

The Japanese media reported Thursday that seven boards decided not to use the controversial textbook, which critics claim distorts the facts of Japanese imperialism.

In Seoul, President Kim Dae-jung warned against emotionally confronting the textbook issue. "It is not reasonable to antagonize relations with Japan," he said. "Efforts must be made for the textbook issue to be tackled resolutely and calmly."




by Oh Day-young

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