The school textbooks authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Education on Tuesday not only put South Korea and Japan on a collision course but also fuel growing nationalist sentiments in Northeast Asia.

The confrontation between the two nations is certain to escalate since the textbooks were designed to reinforce Japan's claim to Dokdo, a group of islands in the East Sea, while making few changes to the distorted descriptions of history. The Japanese call the islands Takeshima.

What makes a head-on clash inevitable is the fact that two widely used citizenship textbooks, in addition to the controversial one published by Fuso Publishing Co, have now newly included Japan's claim to Dokdo.

In Japan, the general public has thus far been rather indifferent to Shimane Prefecture's territorial claims to Dokdo. But the dispute could emerge as a national issue if some 70 per cent of Japanese junior high school students are taught to believe that Dokdo is part of their territory.

Furthermore, the Fuso version used a picture of Dokdo on its front cover with a caption saying that South Korea is "illegally occupying" the islands. The original caption described Dokdo as a disputed island between South Korea and Japan but was allegedly changed under the Education Ministry's instructions.

These provocations make it inevitable for South Korea to employ stern measures to defend its sovereignty over Dokdo. On territorial issues, there can be no compromise. The Seoul government should not allow Japan to encroach upon its territorial sovereignty.

As for history textbooks, the Japanese government claimed that it demanded 124 changes to soothe concerns from neighbouring countries. However, Korean historians who analyzed the new editions were of the view that any improvements were marginal.

They noted that the Fuso version maintained almost the same tone as before - a brazen glorification of Japan's colonial expansion and an intentional neglect of its atrocities, such as forced labour practices and sexual slavery.

The central problem with the controversial textbook is that it disparages South Korea, China, and other neighbouring countries in an attempt to prove Japan's relative superiority and thereby justify its invasion and colonial rule of these countries.

This approach to history reflects the aspirations of the book's authors, who are avowedly ultra-rightist historians. They are rightly accused of dreaming of the revival of militarism and expansion of Japan's military influence.

In this sense, their attempt to distort history poses a serious challenge to regional peace. This is why we question if Tokyo deserves a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

Now that the screening of the textbooks is over, the Seoul government should strive to prevent them from being actually adopted by Japanese schools. Efforts should be made to co-operate with Japanese civic groups who are determined to block the adoption of the Fuso textbook by any state-run schools.

Excerpts from the Korea Herald and carried on China Daily newspaper, April 9, 2005