Japanese publisher recalls 10,000 textbooks after student finds girl in illustration with three arms
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 30 June, 2015, 12:50pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 30 June, 2015, 12:50pm
Julian Ryall in Tokyo
This image appeared in children's textbooks in Japan, but mistakenly showed a girl with three arms. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A Japanese publisher recalled 10,000 textbooks for elementary pupils after an eagle-eyed student noticed a girl in one of the illustrations had three arms.
Sanseido KK has issued an apology on its website for the error, which shows a young girl in a purple sweater holding a wreath of flowers in two hands while her third hand rests on a nearby desk.
The books, Japanese language texts for first-grade students, were issued to pupils in Tokyo and the adjacent Kanagawa Prefecture at the start of the academic year in April, with the error initially going unnoticed.
The publisher said the designer forgot to delete one arm from the picture that was submitted to the company, where it passed screening.
The education ministry, which has a reputation for being thorough, also missed the additional limb.
