Japan's new textbook guidelines renew territorial claim to Dokdo

Published : Feb 14, 2018 - 17:09 Updated : Feb 14, 2018 - 17:09

TOKYO -- Japan renewed its claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its revised guidelines for textbooks unveiled on Wednesday.

Japan's education ministry posted a draft version of the revised guidelines on Tokyo's e-government website for public view. If finalized, they are expected to apply to high school textbooks in phases from 2022.

Dokdo (Yonhap)

Last year, Japan unveiled its textbook guidelines for elementary and middle school students, ordering them to be taught that Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, is its territory. This is the first time that Tokyo has specified its territorial claim in guidelines for high school textbooks.

The guidelines serve as state-enforced standards for writing textbooks.

Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the East Sea, has long been a source of tension between the neighbors.

South Korea has kept a small police detachment on Dokdo since its liberation from Japan in 1945 and has made clear that Tokyo's claims are utterly groundless. (Yonhap)