Japan's major newspapers refuse to carry South Koreans' opinion ad on school textbooks

Three leading Japanese newspapers have refused to carry an opinion advertisement of a South Korean citizens' organization against the school history textbook written by the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform.

The Civilian Movement for Correction of Japanese Textbooks in July requested Asahi Shimbun to carry their opinion advertisement which said, "Disapproval of a dangerous textbook is a shortcut to the improvement of friendship between South Korea and Japan."

Asahi Shimbun was reluctant on the grounds that it didn't want the name of the textbook publisher "Fuso Publishing Inc." included.

Accepting Asahi's claim, the Movement replaced "Fuso Publishing Inc." with "The dangerous textbook." But Asahi Shimbun recently told the Movement that the advertisement can't be run, without any specific reason given.

The Movement then requested Yomiuri Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun to run the advertisement, but was rejected by both of them.

Kim Minchul, Movement chair, said, "At all the newspapers, the advertisement section staff gave us favorable answers. It seems to me that it was a management-level decision to refuse our ad."

The Movement is planning to ask other major daily newspapers in Japan to carry the advertisement, and if refused by all of them, they will try to place the ad in U.S. newspapers. (end)