일본사 교과서에 기술된 식민지지배와 민족운동 —2007년도 검정 합격본의 경우—

Abstract

It appears that the contents concerning the relations between Korea and Japan and the Korean nationalist movement during Japan’s colonial rule over Korea in the MEXT approved Japanese national history textbooks used for high school students from 2008 do not differ greatly from the textbooks that were previously used after obtaining the necessary approval four years ago. It is thought that the compilers and publishers decided not to vary from the contents in the previous textbooks in consideration of the fact that Koreans have paid considerable attention to the contents concerning the history of bilateral relations. It can be noted that there has been a slight decrease in the contents concerning the history of the relations between Korea and Japan during the colonial period. This may be part of the trend towards reducing the share of the history involving the two countries in Japanese textbooks and printing instead only brief statements concerning the Korean nationalist movement and Japan’s response to it. Japan’s newly published national history textbooks do not appear to carry an introduction to the Korean nationalist movement, with the exception of the March First Independence Movement of 1919. Recently, Japan’s national history textbooks have shown a tendency to introduce elements from the everyday lives of Japanese and Koreans, as well as cases of mutual understanding and collaboration between the two peoples during the colonial period. They have not yet adopted the view that the modernization of Japan’s colonies was actually accomplished through colonial rule. Korean historians and history textbook compilers should engage in brisker exchanges and dialogues with their Japanese counterparts if they are to succeed in influencing the changes of perspective presented in Japanese textbooks.