Japanese History Textbook Controversies

The Japanese history textbook controversies refer to a series of recurring disputes, particularly from the 1980s onward, over how Japanese school textbooks describe the country's actions before and during the Second World War, including the Nanjing Massacre, the use of comfort women, and Japan's colonial rule of Korea and occupation of other parts of Asia. Government approval of textbooks perceived as downplaying wartime conduct has repeatedly triggered strong diplomatic protests from China and South Korea, and the controversies remain a recurring source of regional tension.