Japan ignores the history-textbook controversy at its peril. While many Japanese dismiss the tempest -- exaggerated attention, they say, given to a small group of nostalgic conservatives or a freedom-of-speech issue best left to constitutional scholars -- South Koreans see the new history textbook as a serious obstacle to improved bilateral relations between the two countries. It is difficult to appreciate the depth and intensity of the anger felt by South Koreans after the Ministry of Education approved the new textbook; even moderates warn that Japan's failure to address South Korean concerns will have long-term repercussions in Northeast Asia.

The Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform has created the problem. The group criticizes Japan's history textbooks for being biased, claiming that the texts place too much emphasis on Japanese wrongdoing against its Asian neighbors and promote a "masochistic attitude" among young Japanese. The group's "corrected" version, which downplays the scale and significance of the Nanjing Massacre, for instance, and the invasion and annexation of Korea in 1910, has triggered outrage in South Korea and China.

At a recent conference on "The Future of United States and Korean Economic and Security Cooperation," the textbook controversy dominated discussions of Japan. While the South Korean participants, current and former government officials as well as think-tank and academic researchers, acknowledged the complexities of the issue -- they are well aware of the fact that the text is only one of eight authorized for use in middle schools, that the government does not require that it be used and that it reflects the views of a small minority in Japan -- they also stressed that the problem could undermine the entire Japan-South Korea relationship.