Title: Striving for common history textbooks in Northeast Asia (China, South Korea and Japan): between ideal and reality
Abstract: Three factors have contributed to the proliferation of history dialogues in
East Asia in the last two decades. First, a sense of crisis over the escalating
history issues since the early 1980s has prompted many individuals and
governments into action. Second, the successful experience of history dialogue and reconciliation in Europe has become an inspiration for many in
East Asia. Third, increasing regional economic integration since the end
of the Cold War has greatly facilitated cross-national projects including
dialogues about history.
Beginning with the controversy about Japanese textbook screening in
1982, the region has been plagued by so-called “history problems” – divergent interpretations about Japanese military and colonial expansion in
modern times. Although the Japanese government agreed to take the sentiments of neighboring countries into consideration, such measures failed
to satisfy Japan’s neighbors and increasingly created a domestic backlash
in Japan. Statements by Japanese politicians denying Japan’s past aggression, official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine where convicted Class A war
criminals are among the honored repeatedly escalated into diplomatic
confrontations in East Asia. The sense of crisis reached a new level in
2001. That year, a Japanese group known as the Society for Making New
Textbooks, formed in reaction to what they considered to be “masochistic
tendencies” in Japanese history textbooks, published its own version aimed
at restoring pride among Japanese youth. It either cast doubt on or s imply
omitted accounts of Japan’s wartime atrocities. After undergoing mandated revisions, this textbook was approved by Japan’s Ministry of Education for use in middle schools. This event, regarded as an indication that
Japan was turning to the Right, caused consider able alarm in Japan itself
but even more so in China and Korea. Many Japanese were joined by
Chinese and Koreans in petitioning against its adoption by Japanese
schools. In the end, only 0.039 percent of Japanese schools accepted this
textbook. Still, the approval of this textbook in Japan was a turning po int.
Calls for greater jo int efforts to combat rising nationalism in Japan gained
support in East Asia.4
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-04-02
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 4
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