Japan's Comfort Women and Forced Labor... History Textbook Documenting Japanese Imperial Atrocities to Rank First in Market Share Next Year

On March 30, 2021, the comprehensive history textbook published by Yamakawa Publishing, which passed the screening by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, includes the explanation: "Comfort stations were established on battlefields across various regions, and women from Japan, Joseon, Taiwan, and occupied territories were recruited as comfort women. There are cases where they were forcibly taken or deceived" (red rectangle).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] History textbooks containing content related to the coercion of Japanese military comfort women are reported to be the most widely used in high school history classes in Japan next year.

On the 19th, Yonhap News confirmed the demand for Japanese high school textbooks for the 2022 academic year (April 2022 to March 2023) and reported that in the newly established subject 'Comprehensive History,' the textbook 'Comprehensive History from Modern to Contemporary' published by Yamakawa Publishing held the top spot with a market share of 21.2%. Another textbook by the same publisher, 'Comprehensive History of the Modern Era: Reading and Thinking,' ranked third with a 13.9% share, and 'Our History, From Japan to the World' ranked sixth with a 6.6% share.

According to this preference survey, approximately 330,000 students and teachers are expected to use Yamakawa Publishing's textbooks in history classes next year. These textbooks were evaluated as relatively clearly describing Japan's wartime atrocities, such as the mobilization of comfort women and labor conscription by the Japanese military. For example, 'Comprehensive History from Modern to Contemporary' includes the explanation: "Comfort stations were established on battlefields across various regions, and women from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and occupied territories were recruited as comfort women. There were cases where they were forcibly taken or deceived into going."

On the other hand, the right-wing textbook 'Our Comprehensive History' by Meiseisha Publishing recorded the lowest market share at 0.5%. This textbook contains content questioning the Far East International Military Tribunal (Tokyo Trial), which judged Class A war criminals of World War II, and even reproduces speeches by former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was executed following the trial's verdict.

A similar phenomenon appeared in junior high school social studies (historical field) textbooks. The textbook by Jiyu Publishing, written by the right-wing group 'Association for Creating New History Textbooks,' failed the 2020 screening but passed after reapplication in March, yet showed a low market share. Out of a total demand of about 1.12 million copies, only 435 copies were ordered. The market share of the right-wing Ikuhosa Publishing's junior high school history textbook also slightly declined from 1.1% this year to 1.0% next year.

These statistics suggest that the actual educational field in Japan does not move solely under government pressure to downplay Japan's wartime atrocities. Regarding the adoption results, Nobuyoshi Takashima, an honorary professor at Ryukyu University and a history textbook expert, analyzed, "It is a healthy development," adding, "The rest depends on how properly teachers handle the descriptions in the textbooks in the classroom."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.