The Japanese government’s approval this week of new versions of textbooks laying claim to Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo suggests again how hard it is to expect Tokyo to face up to historical truth, which should be the basis for cultivating friendly partnership with its neighbors.

According to Seoul officials, 15 of the 21 newly approved high-school textbooks describe Dokdo, a group of rocky outcroppings in the waters between the two countries, as Japanese territory. Some of the controversial textbooks claim the islets are “unilaterally controlled” by the Korean government and the dispute over them should be settled through the U.N. Security Council or the International Court of Justice.

What is more worrisome is the possibility that the distortion of historical facts in Japanese textbooks will be deepened under the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In the lead-up to his party’s landslide victory in last year’s parliamentary elections, which took him again to the premiership he served from 2006-2007, Abe pledged to withdraw Tokyo’s previous statements on its wartime wrongdoings, including sexual slavery forced on women from Korea and other Asian nations. A conservative politician appointed by him as education minister has argued Japan should no longer consider historical relations with its neighbors in setting up guidelines for writing school textbooks.

If Abe’s government is to move in that direction, it would not only prompt angry protests from neighboring countries but also bring criticism from conscientious voices across the world. In step with deepening globalization, textbooks in most countries are written to help their people recognize the increasing need to promote international understanding, exchanges and cooperation. It is needless to say that Japan’s textbooks should be so, particularly in descriptions of neighborly relations.

In this context, a spokesman at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry made the right point in his commentary on Tokyo’s latest approval of textbooks by saying “there is no future for those who close their eyes to history.” The Japanese government is urged to move with the tide of history, not against it, to avoid leaving future generations in the trap of distorted historical perceptions out of touch with international views and standards.

It is still encouraging to hear conscientious and objective voices from some Japanese scholars and civic group leaders with regard to historical and territorial issues. In the latest case, Haruki Wada, a professor emeritus at Tokyo University, insisted Japan should drop its empty claims over Dokdo as early as possible. The renowned scholar argued it was folly to worsen ties between the two countries and mutual sentiment between their peoples by adhering to the claims, which are unachievable in view of the history of Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula in the early 20th century.

Unfortunately, his argument will fall on deaf ears. But eventually, he will be credited with thinking on the right lines for the prosperous and respectable future of his country.