A Comparative Study of History Textbooks of Senior High Schools of China and Japan : Focusing on the Sino-Japanese War

As it is all known, the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) was the milestone of the history between Japan and China, which has also influenced Japan deeply. It not only influenced the Far East but also contributed to the change of international relationship all over the world. the close relationship between Japan and China was originated from a long time ago, which has been lasting for more than one thousand years. A group of envoy was dispatched to China, and the Famous monk Jian Zhen also visited Japan when Xuan Zong emperor was on the throne. Those have been passed on as a much-told tale from generation to generation. However, when it came to the modern time, Japan launched the Sino-Japanese War, and the Japanese militarism became the spearhead of invading China. In recent years, along with the Chinese reform policy, it provides the opportunity of reconsidering the relationship between Japan and China. However, the totally different historical views of Japan and China, especially, the issues related to the history textbooks show the problems left over by history between the two countries. In this paper, the Sino-Japanese War ─ the unique fact is set as the center topic. Moreover, discussion and comparison of the content of the high school history textbooks of Japan and Chinawere carried out