28/01/2014 13:55
Japan revises school manuals to set out territorial claims
Japan's Education Ministry says it is revising teaching manuals for schools to set out its ownership of disputed islands, the BBC reported.
Minister Hakubun Shimomura said Japan wanted to teach its children "about integral parts of its territory."
The disputed territory includes islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but also claimed by China, and islands controlled by South Korea.
The disputes have caused tension between Japan and the two countries.
The revision approved by the Education Ministry will affect history and geography classes in junior and senior high schools.
It will say that islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, and the South Korea-controlled Dokdo islands, known as Takeshima in Japan, are "integral parts of Japanese territory."
"From the educational point of view, it is natural for a state to teach its children about integral parts of its own territory," Mr Shimomura said.
He added that "with the co-operation of our Foreign Ministry, we will explain the country's position to our neighbours."
South Korea has protested the move, with officials calling the meaning of the revision a "very serious" matter, says Yonhap news agency.
Seoul also planned to summon the Japanese ambassador to South Korea to lodge a complaint, Yonhap added.