竹島問題の歴史

25.12.09

"Japan Takes Softer Stance Over Dokdo"?

According to a December 24 article in the online version of the Korea Times entitled "Japan Softens its Stance Over Dokdo," Japan has removed a description of Takeshima (Dokdo) as being Japanese territory from a new educational guidebook to high school teachers. The following is a quote from an unnamed diplomatic source in the article:
"The description of Dokdo was dropped from the latest edition of the high school teachers' guidebook. Instead, it adopted an ambiguous expression calling for a deeper understanding of Japan's territorial problems,'' the source said.
How can Japanese students get "a deeper understanding of Japan's territorial problems" if the Japanese government is afraid to mention the name of the territory in a teaching guidebook? The message to Japanese teachers seems to be "teach that we have territorial problems, but do not to mention Takeshima."

If the information in the article is true, then the Japanese government seems to have been cowed by Korea. Who is writing Japan's educational guidebooks, Japan or Korea?

3 comments:

  1. 竹島-高校の新指導要領解説書に明記せず
    文部科学省
    2009年12月25日 時事通信


     高校で2013年度の新入生から適用される新学習指導要領をめぐり、文部科学省は25日、地理歴史などの解説書を公表した。日本の領土問題に関しては、韓国が実効支配する竹島は例示せず、地理A・Bで新たに「中学校における学習を踏まえる」と記述した。中学の解説書で竹島を明記した昨年と対応が分かれた。

      現行の解説書と同じく、例示した領土問題は北方領土のみ。鈴木寛文科副大臣は、竹島に関し「中学で北方領土と同様に指導するとしており、高校でも指導がなされる」と説明した。

      明記しない理由として、学校の裁量を増やすために指導要領などを簡潔にする「大綱化」を民主党が目指していることを挙げた。「領土問題をどう教えるかは、相手国に配慮すべきではない」とも述べ、韓国への配慮はなかったと強調した。

      一方、日本史A・Bでは小中の解説書と同様、戦争被害として新たに「空襲」「沖縄戦」「原子爆弾の投下」を列挙した。


    타케시마, 고등학교 新 지도 요령 해설서에 명기하지 않다
    문부과학성
    2009년 12월 25 일시사 통신

     고등학교에서 2013년도의 신입생으로부터 적용되는 신학습 지도 요령을 둘러싸고, 문부 과학성은 25일, 지리 역사등의 해설서를 공표했다. 일본의 영토 문제에 관해서는, 한국이 실효 지배하는 타케시마는 예시하지 않고, 지리 A•B에서 새롭게「중학교에 있어서의 학습을 밟는다」라고 기술했다. 중학의 해설서에 타케시마를 명기한 작년과 대응이 나뉘었다.

    현행 해설서와 같이, 예시한 영토 문제는 북방 영토 만이다. 스즈키 부대신은, 타케시마에 관련해서「중학교에서는 북방 영토와 같게 지도한다고 하고 있어 고등학교에서도 지도가 이루어진다」라고 설명했다.
     명기하지 않는 이유로서 학교의 재량을 늘리기 위해서 지도 요령등을 간결하게 하는「대강화(大綱化)」를 민주당이 목표로 하고 있는 것을 들었다. 「영토 문제를 어떻게 가르칠 것인가는, 상대국에 배려해서는 안된다」라고도 말해 한국에의 배려는 없었다고 강조했다.

    한편, 일본사 A•B에서는 초등학교와 중학교의 해설서와 같이, 전쟁 피해로서 새롭게「공습」「오키나와전」「원자 폭탄의 투하」을 열거했다.

    * * * * * * * * *


    政府としては、竹島問題だけを考えて行動することはできないのかも知れない。
    정부로서는, 타케시마 문제만을 고려해서 행동할 수 없는 것인지도 몰라요.


    2009.12.26

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  2. I think you're mistaking the change. Under the previous rules, Japanese textbooks were _required_ to mention Dokdo/Takeshima explicitly. The new rule does not forbid the textbooks from doing so (and knowing the nationalist nature of many of the publishing companies, many will continue to do so), but it no longer requires them to explicitly mention Takeshima. Personally, I'd like to see Japan's educational policy move this way in general, because the analysis of history is something that should be done by historians, not by the government.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Qwryrxian,

    Stating that Japan claims Takeshima (Dokdo) as Japanese territory is a simple fact. Asking teachers to discuss that fact in the classroom is not analyzing history. Moreover, as far as I know, the history teachers in Japanese classrooms can choose to discuss it or not, but to not discuss the Takeshima dispute in Japanese classrooms would be irresponsible considering that Korea keeps making the dispute an international news topic.

    Korea's telling Japan not to teach "the fact" that Japan claims Takeshima is as ridiculous as Korea's claiming, in the same breath, that there is no Takeshima dispute.

    Even when Takeshima is not mentioned in Japan's educational guidebook, Korea still complains. See HERE.

    Japan needs to stop letting Korea dictate, or even influence, Japanese educational policy. In other words, Japan needs to stop pampering a childish Korea.

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