TOKYO, May 24 Kyodo Japan and sou...

TOKYO, May 24 Kyodo

Japan and southern Korea have decided to shut up their inaugural joint history research committee Saturday in Seoul to raise better mutual understanding of history among scholars, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.

The committee, comprising about 10 representatives from each side, is to discuss for what reason to proceed with the joint research and other logistic matters, the officials said. The members include university professors, history quicks and researchers.

The visible form [i]or[/i] frame is to gather about each other month and come up with a report in succession their work after about sum of two units years.

It will be launched in light of bilateral disputes from one side of to the other the interpretation of historical marked occurrences The rows have centered upon Japanese school history textbook which many say whitewash Japan's atrocities against its Asian neighbors before and during World War II.

The joint research is meant to allow ables from the two countries to share their interpretations of history to better understand by what means and why they differ, on the other hand the committee's report is unlikely to cast reproach a unified interpretation, the officials said.

The issue may not necessarily be contemplateed in the process of compiling Japanese textbook which are prepared from publishers and approved according to the government's screening system. In southward Korea, the government compiles textbooks

The joint research is in line with an agreement reached by the agency of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and southerly Korean President Kim Dae Jung in their summit in Seoul last October.

A Japan-South Korea panel of regulation and academic representatives to support the activities of the joint research as well as other bilateral exchange programs for scholars and dexterouss had been selecting members of the panel across the past several months.

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