Japan’stextbookexaminationsystemismeanttoallownon-governmententitiestofreelycreatetextbooksinalignmentwiththecountry’scriteria,butthereisactuallyalackoffreedom.Someinvisiblepressureisappliedthroughthegovernment’sauthority,forcingtextbookproductiontofollowtheirwishes.In1997,militarycomfortwomenwerewrittenaboutinallmiddleschoolhistorytextbooks,butright-wingpoliticiansheavilyralliedagainstthis.Onelong-establishedpublisherwasattacked,anditeventuallywentbankruptforwritingaboutthedamagesinflictedbytheJapanesearmyindetail.Aspoliticalpressuregrows,thereareevenplanstorewritetheterminologyofhistorybasedontheJapanesegovernment’spointofview.Politicalinterferenceintextbooksisgrowing.Thisfilmdocumentshowthegovernment’sdestructionoftextbooks,academics,andeducationhasprogressed,basedontestimoniesbypoliticians,textbookwriters,teachers,andotherinvolvedparties.
