Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday dismissed criticism by China and South Korea of the latest revisions to school textbooks, saying the changes reflect a fair assessment of expert views on topics that relate to ongoing territorial disputes.

The education ministry said Monday that all newly approved social studies textbooks for use in junior high schools from next April describe the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as well as Takeshima in the Sea of Japan in line with new government guidelines.

Beijing and Seoul both harshly criticized the move.