teaching territorial issues

An instruction manual for the education ministry's new curriculum guidelines for social studies at middle schools mentions for the first time that students should be taught that the disputed Takeshima group of islets, which South Korea calls Dokdo and claims as sovereign territory, are Japan's territory. The Takeshima islets are an integral part of our nation's territory historically and by international law.

The four Russian-held islands off eastern Hokkaido, known as the northern territories, have been described as part of Japan's territory not only in the education ministry's curriculum guidelines and in its instruction manual, but also in all 14 textbooks on geography and civics used in middle schools. Four textbooks have already carried descriptions of the Takeshima islets. Describing the Takeshima islets as part of Japan in the instruction manual should have been done much earlier.

 After reports on Japan's plan to mention the Takeshima islets in the curriculum instruction manual, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak expressed concern and the South Korean National Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the Japanese education ministry not to include mention of the Takeshima islets as an integral part of Japanese territory. South Korea is a neighbouring country with which Japan has to closely cooperate on resolving the denuclearisation of North Korea and the abduction of Japanese by North Korean agents.  However, the issue of what our education system should provide to its people, including instruction on territorial issues, is one of national sovereignty. Diplomatic consideration belongs in a different category from an accurate conveyance to the next generation of the history and territory of a sovereign state.

On the basis of the spirit of the instruction manual, publishers have to commit themselves to provide easy-to-understand explanations in their textbooks while teachers have to instruct students with clarity.

Solving the territorial issue of sovereignty over the Takeshima islets is a difficult task. For this reason, it is vital that the Japanese people correctly understand the issue and can clearly argue Japan's stance to the international community.