Japan school textbooks amended to reflect new guidelines on territories

Apr 01, 2021 | News On Japan

Apr 01, 2021 (Japan Times) - New teaching guidelines for the subjects of kōkyō (public affairs) and chiri sōgō (comprehensive geography) stipulate that four Russian-held northeastern Pacific islands, the Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima and the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea should be described as Japan's inherent territories.

The guidelines also call on kōkyō and chiri sōgō textbooks to state that Japan is making efforts to resolve the territorial issues over the Russian-controlled islands and Takeshima in a peaceful manner, and that no territorial dispute exists over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands.

The Russian-held islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II and have long been claimed by Japan.

The islands of Takeshima are under the effective control of South Korea, which calls them Dokdo, and Japan claims the islands as its own territory. The Senkakus are claimed by China, where the islands are called Diaoyu.

The guidelines, set to be used from fiscal 2022, call on textbooks for rekishi sōgō (comprehensive history) to mention the Northern Territories in their descriptions related to border demarcation.

Source: FNNプライムオンライン

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