Whoi knew a bunch of Japanese textbook could cause such trouble?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

It still comes back to the fact that the Japanese government knew full well that approving these new textbooks would piss of China and S. Korea.

Again, they had little choice. Japan is a free country, unlike China, and censorship doesn't fly there.

The Japanese government had a choice. It could have refused to give its stamp of approval, as it has in the past.

The publisher would be free to print the book, but it would not be part of the official cirriculum.

Not surprisingly, the books that re-write history get official approval from the government. Books that provided a balanced view get rejected.

[Drake Tungsten]

The publisher would be free to print the book, but it would not be part of the official cirriculum.

It's not part of any "official curriculum". Japan doesn't have an official curriculum. The government approves books for use and then individual schools choose the books they want to make up their curriculum. Only .1% percent of Japanese junior high schools have chosen to use this particular book.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Tingkai
Not surprisingly, the books that re-write history get official approval from the government. Books that provided a balanced view get rejected.

What balanced textbooks were rejected by the Japanese government?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Tingkai
The big question is why has Japan been so intent on provoking S. Korea and China in the past couple of months?

Consider that Japan has:

- declared Taiwan a common strategic objective
- made claims for tiny islands owned by S. Korea
- approved textbooks that Japan knew would piss off SK and China
- Blocked China's entry into the intra-American development bank
- approved gas exploration in an area claimed by China
- announced plans to change its constitution to a less pacificist document.

Very unusual.

If China is provoked by these things it's because they are trying to bully. Japan is simply looking after their own interests.

[Dinner]

Yeah, this is such a red herring. The Japanese textbooks have basically said the same thing for the last half century but the CCP gets into domestic trouble over corruption and favoritism against the common people and suddenly the CCP is (to quote Inspector Renault in Casa Blanca) "Shocked! Shocked!" to find out about the 50 year old text books. The fact that Chinese text books are about as biased as your average Soviet or Nazi textbooks is just icing.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by DaShi


What balanced textbooks were rejected by the Japanese government?

PWNED! China apologists go home.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

The publisher would be free to print the book, but it would not be part of the official cirriculum.

It's not part of any "official curriculum". Japan doesn't have an official curriculum. The government approves books for use and then individual schools choose the books they want to make up their curriculum. Only .1% percent of Japanese junior high schools have chosen to use this particular book.

This is a new book, first written in 2001, and the latest edition was only recently approved so it is not surprising that it is just beginning to be used. (How many books published in 2001 would be in use in North American schools).

The number of schools using it is besides the point anyways.

This is a book officially approved for use in schools by the Japanese government. Japan is trying to whitewash its crimes.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has fought for decades to censor a textbook written by Ienaga Saburo which describes the atrocities committed by the Japanese. He won a partial victory in 1997 that allowed his textbook to mention the Japanese biological warfare torture, but the Japanese government still has the power to censor textbooks, including Saburo's book.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Kidicious


If China is provoked by these things it's because they are trying to bully. Japan is simply looking after their own interests.

Bully? Hardly. Japan is pouring salt into an open wound that it caused.

The question is why has Japan chosen to do so much to alienate South Korea and China. Japan knew what would happen.

Why is Japan causing so much trouble in the region.

It has much to lose, what does it have to gain?

If it wanted a seat on the UN Security Council, pissing off China certainly wasn't the way to get it.

[Kidlicious]

Japan isn't causing trouble. China is. That playing the victim **** isn't going to fly past China's borders.

[DanS]

The number of schools using it is besides the point anyways.

This is a book officially approved for use in schools by the Japanese government. Japan is trying to whitewash its crimes.

Why would the Japanese government try to whitewash its crimes by approving a textbook with such a small marketshare?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Japan isn't causing trouble. China is.

Ah yes, there was a secret Chinese conspiracy that:
- forced the Japanese to whitewash its crimes;
- forced the Japanese to lay claim to South Korean islands;
- forced the Japanese to kill millions in China and the rest of Asia during WWII;
- and so on and so on.

The fact that you blame the Chinese for the Japanese provocations shows your true colours.

[DanS]

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by DanS


Why would the Japanese government try to whitewash its crimes by approving a textbook with such a small marketshare?

This is a NEW textbook that was just approved for use in schools. Naturally there will be a timelag before schools start using it.

[DanS]

Even if so, at a minimum, you will have to admit that judgment should be reserved until sales figures have been released on this textbook.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Japan isn't causing trouble. China is. That playing the victim **** isn't going to fly past China's borders.

Kid, IMHO, Japan can gain full status as a civilized nation only when it is honest to itself about its past. What they did to the Chinese and other Asians was simply barbaric. Ditto what they did to US POWs. When that leaked out during the war, it caused deep and abiding anger even though we were treated well compared to the way the Japanese treated other Asians.

I think one of the reasons most Americans had no problem with the bombing of Japanese cities was because of the notorious barbarism of the Japanese.