Japanese Education Minister sparks Korean outrage
The Japanese Education Minister has caused outrage in South Korea by suggesting that Japanese textbooks at primary, middle and, high school level should classify the island group of Dokdo as Japanese territory.
Dokdo is made up of two small rocky islands and is surrounded by 33 smaller rocks. The group is located 90km from South Korea's Ullung Island. Japan's Oki Islands lie 157km to the northwest. Dokdo's total surafce area is only 0.186sq km (56 acres).
Japan has claimed the islands since 1905, when it sought to secure fishing rights to the area. As part of the Japanese Empire Korea was forced to secede the islands to Japanese authority. Following the end of the Second World War Japan was ordered to renounce sovereignty over Dokdo. The Japanese government continued to claim the islands, causing skirmishes between Korean and Japanese coastguard vessels during the 1950s.
The Japanese Education Minister, Mr. Nariaki Nakayama, made the comments about Dokdo when addressing the education and science committee of the country's parliament. Earlier this year he suggested that Japanese textbooks were too negative about Japan's history, particularly when dealing with her occupation of Korea. This provoked demonstrations in Korea, where many remember the brutal conditions the country endured during the Japanese occupation. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also faced strong criticism for visitng a shrine devoted to Japan's fallen soldiers, including several war criminals, during his term of office. Teaching unions have expressed concern at attempts to revise school textbooks. Universities have also protested at moves to airbrush the more shameful aspects of Japan's past claiming that revisions leave Japanese students at a disadvantage when studying history in courses in Japan and abroad.
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