What's happening to other Japanese history textbooks?
You may know that Chinese and Korean governments or many citizen groups claim that Japan is about to publish "radically rightish history textbook".
Some would say that it's a totally whitewashing of history. Others insist that it is freedom of speech. Many newspapers pick up both opinions, and you get confused, "which is right?"
Here I disclose a very important fact hidden behind this incident on Japanese textbooks. I would say, why don't we focus on other Japanese textbooks rather than "the controversial one"?
The photo of a human statue in the picture is a Korean hero who attacked Japanese troops which invaded Korea peninsular in 16C. And a pic of porcelain is shown to tell how Korean had technique in porcelain at the time. Sparing 1 page and describing Korean victory.. What kind of textbook do you think it is ?
Surprisingly, its a most-sold Japanese history textbook!
And you will find that many Japanese heroes are not described in this book published by "Tokyo Shoseki". I can pick another instance. For Japanese people, the victory against Russia in 1904 should be a significant history, but the name of General Togo is erased from this textbook.
Those books are written after too much compromise against China and Korea. Note that much pressure from China and Korea has been on publishers from long time ago. It's just "Tsukurukai" quit being amenable to those two countries. You don't think this page vividly tell the truth, don't you? Plus, its written from a point of view of "Marxism-Leninism". Consider that Japan still has a number of communist party members in diet in Japan. Believed or not, this is what is happening in Japan.
The picture above is the one from 3.1 movement (for independence) in Korean peninsula in the begining of 20 century. I understand this is from Korean history textbooks, but again, this is scanned from one of four major publishers, Tokyo Shoseki, which sells Japanese history textbooks. Tokyo Shoseki's attitude is based on Marxism, and it can't help looking the history as the conflict between exploiters and the victims. Plus it is talkative when it comes to Korean.
On the contrary, great personages of the past are considerably omitted from Tokyo Shoseki. For instance, General Togo, who led Japan to win ove Russia in 1904, is not described because his achievement may mislead the students and arouse their nationalism. This is what the major textbooks really fear in the bottom line. What Togo did totally changed Japanese history, and that is why he should be the first one to be appearing in Japanese history textbooks whatever it takes.
Now you know which has the twisted history? "The controversial textbook" is written based on those weird backgrounds; they just erased Korean heros' name and add some Japanese names, because it's a JAPANESE text book. The other books are the ones which should be revised!
If you still can't believe, just go to this pdf file.
If you need Chinese or Korean version, go to
http://www.tsukurukai.com/
and download pdf. It's funny if it's impossible to download it from China because of censorship.
Please just think, while they strongly protest, why they don't specify which part is inappropriate. It's just they can't specify because the book is SO normal. It's not rightish, but other ones are just a collection of exaggerated care to China and Korea.
posted by yellowpeep @ 2:36 PM
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