China and South Korea are demanding revisions in Japanese history textbooks approved by the government for use at middle schools, arguing that they contain distortions of facts. In making the demands, China singled out a textbook compiled by the Society for History Textbook Reform; South Korea directed 70 percent of its claims at the same textbook.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi faces the difficult task of solving the problem without damaging Japan's relations with China and South Korea. Koizumi has already stoked anti-Japanese sentiment by vowing to honor Japan's war dead at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo Aug. 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II. The shrine is regarded by some as the symbol of Japanese militarism.
In a surprising development, the textbook compiled by the Society for History Textbook Reform was put on sale at Japanese bookstores, even before the disputes with China and South Korea were settled. The sale, preceding approval of textbooks for use at schools by local education boards, was also unprecedented. The publisher ignored a warning from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology not to sell the book.