Tension concerning historical awareness still exists in Japan

Schools in Tokyo use nationalistic junior high history textbooks. The Tokyo Board of Education on July 28, 2011 approved the use of a disputed history textbook with a nationalist influence. The textbook has drawn international criticism from China and South Korea because of its justification of past Japanese aggression in the war. In addition, many Japanese are against the usage of this material in schools.
There are many publications supporting the view that the Japanese wars against Korea, China and the U.S. were for self-defense and self-respect of Japan, not for aggressive purposes. “A pride of the Japanese” written by Masahiko Hujiwara is one of bestselling books in 2011. He insists that we must reject the Tokyo Trials in 1946 to restore the pride of the Japanese people and revise the Constitution of Japan to reinstate military forces.

However, most Japanese don’t agree. They are willing to recognize the fact that Japan declared war and have decided not to do this again but to keep peaceful relations between foreign countries instead. They oppose revising the Constitution of Japan, especially article nine as recorded below.

Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
　　　In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

Not only in Japan, but also in many other countries, for example Norway, there are many militant nationalists. However, they only make up a tiny fraction of the Japanese population. We should work together to ensure trusting relationships