Asian people join in action against textbook praising war of aggression

Japanese and other Asian people held a solidarity meeting in Tokyo on June 10 and 11 in a bid to stop the adoption of the history textbook glorifying Japan's war of aggression for Japanese schools.

Former 'comfort women,' families members of those who were killed by the Japanese Imperial Army, and human right activists were among the 1,300 participants in the meeting on June 11, which focused its attention on the controversial history textbook edited by the "Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform."

That evening, about 500 people visited the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, to protest against its approval of the 'textbook.' They shouted in their respective languages, "The Education Ministry must teach history correctly!"

In the meeting, 36 people from China, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia took part. Participants confirmed that theyare carrying out an international signature collection campaign to prevent the textbook from reaching out to junior high school students. They also agreed to establish a new solidarity organization which is expected to be called the "Asian Network on history education."

A participant from Malaysia took off his shirt and said, "When I was 6 years old, I was stabbed in the back by a Japanese soldier. Why does the Japanese government conceal these historical facts in a school textbook?"

A representative of the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan emphasized that Japan's history is linked with Asian history, and that Japan must stop distorting historical facts.

A participant from China stated that Japan should learn lessons from Germany, which made a deep reflection on its war of aggression. Another from Taiwan said that we must deal with the textbook issue from a wide ranging view covering the whole of East Asian history, not on a narrow-minded history of Japan alone."

A representative from the Children and Textbooks Japan Network 21 called for enriching a historic view that will be accepted by Asian peoples.

The participants decided to carry out joint actions over 36 items, including a petition drive calling for non-adoption of the history textbook of the "Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform," and to promote further exchanges on the textbook issue by setting up an Asian version website. (end)