Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said no further changes would be made following an education ministry screening of the text.
Critics say the book glosses over Japan's military activities during the Second World War.
South Koreans are particularly angered that there is no reference to Korean women being used by Japanese soldiers as sex slaves. South Korean Foreign Minister, Han Siung-soo, summoned the Japanese ambassador in Seoul, Terusuke Terada, to file the complaint. The Japanese envoy to Beijing has also been called in to the Chinese foreign ministry to receive a protest. But Japan has stood firm. Activists say even the screened version of the book is an insult The Japanese education ministry says more than 100 changes were already made during the screening of the draft text to take account of the concerns.