Twisted books spark anger



Drafts of a new edition of a history textbook used in Japanese schools have again sparked waves of criticism.

Japan's Asian neighbors including China and the Republic of Korea say they have been "deeply hurt" by the "twisted history" in the school books which "again" fail to mention the atrocities the Japanese committed during World War II.

The People's Daily published an article on March 25, saying the books "greatly hurt the feelings of the Asian people" and expressed outrage in an editorial.

The paper cited ROK's decision to internationalize the Japanese history textbook issue as "a very necessary measure," saying "it is a powerful counter blow to Japanese right wing's aggressive action."

The paper said the current situation indicated that it is hard to resolve the textbook issue within the bilateral jurisdiction and it would be a smart choice to go to the international level.

It noted that 2005 is the 60th anniversary of World War II "an anti-fascist war" and said it would be "very significant to let the international community learn more about the truth of Japanese invasion history."

Overseas Chinese are also planning to buy an entire advertisement page in the New York Times, opposing Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, according to China Youth Daily.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been arguing in recent days against Japan's bid on the Internet, demanding Japan heed its past atrocities first.

The ROK Government said it will raise a proposal about the textbooks at international conferences, including the conference of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It has said it will take other measures to force Japan to correct the wrongs.

The textbooks are inspected every four years in April by the Japanese government. They are used during history lessons at all middle schools in Japan.

The latest edition of the disputed textbook, which was written by a group of "right-wing" Japanese academics, was approved in 2001 for use in high schools - despite strong protests from neighboring countries.

ROK non-governmental organizations vowed to work together with its counterparts in Japan as well as the international community to prevent the approval of the new textbook. (From China Daily, edited by Shen Yang)

Drafts of a new edition of a history textbook used in Japanese schools have again sparked waves of criticism.

South Korean citizens inspect Japanese school textbooks, in the library of the South Korean National Assembly on March 11, 2005, following the new revision to cover up Japanese brutal imperialism in Korea from 1910 to 1945.

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	French art exhibition 巨腿大鞋称奇 Large trouser legs and shoes are on display at the exhibition of artist Fernand Leger in Toulouse, France, March 20.
	Giant Easter egg 巧克力彩蛋挑战世界纪录 A man is dwarfed by a giant Easter egg made by the Belgian chocolate-maker Guylian, which aims to establish a new world record in Sint Niklaas, March 23. Sint Niklaas' mayor Freddy Willockx attended the unveiling of the egg.
	Payment by fingerprint "指纹"付费 A customer places his finger on a scanner enabling fingerprint identification for payment, March 24, at a supermarket checkout in Germany. The method is used as an alternative to cash or credit cards.
	Europe's biggest castle 欧洲最大城堡对游人开放 A view of Sedan fortified castle taken March 17, in the Ardennes region, eastern France. Once an impenetrable fortress repelling all invaders in the heart of the French Ardennes, Europe's biggest fortified castle is now luring tourists with offers of nights among the shining armor. After decades of neglect, a three-star hotel opened in August within the towering walls of Sedan castle, a medieval compound in northeastern France close to the Belgium border.
	Jumbo King contest 大肚王才艺大比拼 Sani Sangthong, weighing 172.5 kg, one of 13 Thai men contestants of the Jumbo King contest, shows off his talent by dancing during the first round of the Jumbo King contest at Thailand Expo 2005 fair, Thailand, March 19. This special size contest is open only to Thai men who weigh over 100 kg and ready to show off their talents on stage. The winner will take home cash and gifts worth 50,000 Baht or 978.064 EUR.

 

 

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"These are new and unrecognized diseases. Because we know so little about them, we get as much lab work done as we can afford."
"这些新病症尚未确诊. 正是因为我们对它们知之甚少, 所以我们必须进行大量的实验研究. "

Said Pergolotti, founder of Cairns Frog Hospital, Australia's only frog hospital, which is closing its doors due to a lack of funding.
--澳大利亚惟一的青蛙诊所, 因资金短缺而面临倒闭. 佩尔戈洛蒂女士为该诊所的创始人.


"We've put so much emphasis on diet and exercise that we've failed to recognize the value of good sleep."
"我们一直过分强调节食和锻炼, 以至于忽略了良好睡眠的作用. "

Wanna stay thin? Then sleep more! A study from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk found that total sleep time decreased as body mass index increased.
--想苗条吗? 那就多睡觉吧. 美国诺福克市的东维吉尼亚医学院发布的一份研究表明累计睡眠时间和体重指数成反比.


"When there are road accidents and serious injuries, the vehicles involved are always impounded."
"当发生交通事故并有重大伤亡时, 所有事故车辆都要被扣留. "

Police in the northeastern Colombian city of Arauca said that they had detained a donkey named Pacho after a motorcyclist crashed into the animal and suffered serious injuries.
--哥伦比亚东北部阿劳卡市的警方说, 他们已拘留了一头名叫帕奇欧的驴. 因为在一起交通事故中, 一摩托车手撞上这头驴并且受了重伤.


"An 11-degree warmer world would be a dramatically different world."
"如果地球温度升高11度, 那么世界将完全变样. "

David Stainforth, a professor of the University of Oxford said that the impact of global warming could be twice as feared.
--牛津大学教授大卫·斯坦福斯认为全球变暖的严重性可能比预计的更糟.