Friday, February 20, 2015

Blog #3: U.S. Textbook Skews History, Prime Minister of Japan Says

Summary


The Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan criticized an American textbook that he said inaccurately depicted Japans actions during World War II, opening a new front in a battle to sway American views of the country’s a wartime history. Mr. Abe also pledged to increase efforts to fight what he referred to as “mistaken views a broad concerning Japan’s wartime actions, when the Japanese military conquered much of Asia.” A high school textbook that was published by McGraw-Hill Education was singled out by Mr. Abe. He said that it contained the sort of negative portrayals that Japan must do more combat. In particular, he objected to a description of women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the war, a highly fraught issue in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. McGraw-Hill defended its textbook, saying the information in the textbook is supported by historical facts.


Analysis 


I feel as though the prime minister has every right to be able to express his concerns about his country’s history. I was always told that there are always two sides to a story. I’m not saying that the information that our in our history books are one hundred percent incorrect. However, I do believe that some important information may not have been mentioned.  Take African American history and the civil rights movement for an example. There were a lot of facts that I didn’t know about slavery until I researched it on my own. As well as underrepresentation of our successes as a race. I think that every race, ethnicity, and culture’s history should be told truthfully. 

Candace Burton
2/20/15
2:11

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