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Three Peoples, One history, but will China accept it?
Though it arrived with less of a fan-fair that some feel that it deserved, particularly in China, the month of May marked the officially sanctioned release date of a new high school text book that some see as being a revolution in the teaching of Asian history, not least of all because it marks the first successful attempt to produce an account of Chinese, Korean and Japanese relations, through some of their most troubled times, to have been complied by scholars and educators from all three nations.
The Unified text book
The new text book, titled "History to Open the Future", contains a ‘unified’ account of the regional history complied by approximately 200 scholars and educators from China, South Korea and Japan, during 11 multi party symposiums. It covers Asian history during the 18th to 20th century, a period which contains the most significant Sino-Japanese and Korean-Japanese conflicts, including WWII. It also covers Japan’s surrender to the US as well as some Japanese post war history and significant domestic history of the three countries. It is available in three languages; Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
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“It is not an exclusive description of history from a nationalist point
of view, but a description for future coexistence that views history
with an open mind and respects the opinion of each nation” |
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Work on the text book began in March 2002, almost exactly three years prior to recent anti-Japanese riots that severally damaged China’s international standing.
Though the riots were publicly claimed to have been sparked by the ‘green lighting’ of controversial Japanese history text books, the imminent release of a ‘unified’ book aimed at countering such books was largely kept out of the media in China.
There is no single Truth
While the text book is being promoted as containing a version of history that is independent from official political lines, and which has been agreed upon by all parties involved, it is notable that it also contains a number of articles by moderate scholars from all three countries, so as to present the different perspectives and opinions of each party; an approach that is common in the west, but is almost unknown in China and South Korea when it comes to regional history; with neither country teaching a balanced view of the Japanese perspective on events.
Adverse Effect?
While the production of the unified text book, and the cooperation behind it, have been broadly hailed as a landmark in regional educational cooperation, some observers have expressed concern that the perception may arise, or be deliberately seeded, that the book’s production committee may have been ‘infiltrated’ by liberal Japanese scholars who harbour staunch pro pacifism/an anti-militarism agendas.
If such a view becomes wide spread, or is seized upon by right wing elements, the publication of "History to Open the Future", may actually serve to raise Sino-Japanese tensions.
The Counterweight Claim
Many of those behind Japan’s most controversial, and least supported, text books, have often laid the claim that their books are written to act as counterweights to ‘liberal’ and anti-militarism teachings.
Though firmly a minority group, controversial figures including Yagi Hidetsugu and Fujioka Nobukatsu of the center right Japanese Society for Textbook Reform, the group behind Japan’s most controversial text book, have often accused Japan’s liberal teaching union of being a nationally deprecating left wing organization that teaches a “masochistic” account of Japanese history; accusing Japan’s current text books of being deliberately engineered to destroy Japanese national pride by presenting an overly critical view of Japan’s war time actions and by spreading the blame further for atrocities than is factually correct.
There is a realistic fear that the unified text book may give rise to a number of right wing books aiming at ‘refuting’ its content. Any of which could easily act further inflame Sino-Japanese tensions. Particularly as the Chinese media rarely distinguishes between minority and majority actions in regards to Japanese text books.
A similar situation has also arisen in Germany on several occasions, where ‘over shaming’, and gratuitous displays of contrition by the countries leaders, are often used to raise far right sentiment among political moderates.
Similarly, anti- racism initiatives that are seen as being overtly one sided in the US are often used by racists as a catalyst for generating racism.
Three languages, two markets?
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“The truth makes liar of us all” |
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While the unified history text book has been translated into Chinese using internationally accepted standards for translation, and its existence has been acknowledged in the Chinese media, it is not yet clear whether Beijing will officially recognize the account of the Sino-Japanese portion of the text because the book diverges from the Chinese state line in many areas, and directly contradicts it in others.
Because of these contradictions, and more moderate tone towards the Japanese invasion and occupation of China than is usual in Chinese text books, it thought unlikely by some that the unified text book will be used in an unaltered form for mainstream education in China. Particularly as sections of the book directly contradict the key government assertions that China alone was responsible for the defeat of Japanese forces in the region, and that the massacre of civilians by Japanese soldiers during the occupation of Nanjing, and other similar atrocities, were both orchestrated and sanctioned by highest levels of the Japanese leaders.
The text book also contains sections covering Chinese domestic history that contradict Chinese state lines as well as sections regarding Sino-Korean relations and interactions that contradict Beijing's approach to Sino-Korean teaching.
Misconceptions?
Contrary to common misconceptions, the use of distorted or bias text books is not common in Japan. In almost all cases, Japan’s powerful liberal teaching union has refused outright to use text books that contain inaccuracies or over simplifications relating to the Sino-Japanese conflict, and most state and private schools in Japan teach wartime history to a standard that is equal to or greater than is considered acceptable in the west.
Ironically, these high standards of accuracy are often sited by right wing groups in Japan as being overly critical of the nation’s history, and are often the main reason given for the production of the text books that "History to Open the Future" is itself aiming to counter.
In addition to the ‘correcting influence’ of Japan’s teaching union, only a fraction of Japanese text books are actually disputed by China; the majority of text books never receive Chinese complaint, and a sizable number of the complaints that are received revolve around a single text book published by the ‘Japanese Society for Textbook Reform’, a text book that is given away for free by the society, and which intended exclusively for Junior high school students.
The book, published by Fusosha publishing, is not part of the state school system’s curriculum and has been widely denounced and discredited in Japan. Its use is marginal at best.
I'm looking forward to more history books like this - I'm hoping a Chinese
Howard Zinn will emerge soon and write "A People's History of the People's
Republic of China." I'm not holding my breath, but if it happens I'll be
one of the first to buy it.
I would advise you to read this book before congratulating it, this isn't
to say that it is incorect in any respect, but when dealing with issues
such as this, it is best to look first. One man's truth is another man's
lie, or so it is said.
I'm mildly concerned that this book will spark a batch of 'rebuttal books' aimed at putting this book over as being part of a left wing plot. Such books could make the Sino-Japanese situation a lot worse.
Currently, China does not distinguish between main stream feelings in Japan and fringe radicalism, no matter how minor an inacurate book is, China will present it as being representitive of the Japanese people.
ACB
Really interesting read. Your other posts too. I must come over here more
often.
frican countries,latin american had ploundered by so call democracy country
ala american style?.where is the freedom of choice? By force becauseof
different religion, what will be happen next, are you going to wipe the
chinese,then the relligion at the very end?Let`s be wise mr.President,prime
minister,king and queen or what ever titled you thing you only little god
in this fragile live, society,or world.
errr, what exactly are you talking about? Which country, which leader? what
anything?
Is there an attempt to balance the CCP - KMT history? Or is it mainly
Japan / Korea / PR China?
The book is more meant to be China-Japan-Korea, but it does cover a good
slice of internal Chinese history covering the CCP-GMD/KMT. It's not a
great deal, but what it has is a lot more balanced than what is taught in
Chinese schools.