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History textbooks and political power in contemporary Japan: controversial representations, pedagogy, and national identity

Peter Cave

International Journal of Asian Studies2026https://doi.org/10.1017/s1479591425100582article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Contention about representations of history and the purposes of History education has long surrounded Japanese History textbooks. From 2012, the ascent of powerful nationalist Prime Minister Abe Shinzō raised questions about possible political pressures on textbook content. This article analyzes recent market-leading junior high school and high school History textbooks to discover how pedagogical format and content related to controversial topics or national identity have changed since 2012. It finds that leading junior high school textbooks have largely maintained their representation of controversial topics, while developing investigative, analytic pedagogical approaches. Coverage of some aspects of ethnic and cultural diversity within Japan has increased. Following the implementation of a new curriculum from 2022, some high school textbooks for the new compulsory subject “Integrated History” facilitate a more analytic, “disciplinary” pedagogy than previously evident in compulsory high school History. Nonetheless, an “enhancing collective memory” approach to History pedagogy remains central throughout secondary education. These developments suggest that power over History education in Japan is distributed between a range of actors. The state, the market, and social pressures all influence the content of History textbooks in Japan.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s1479591425100582

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@article{peter2026,
  title        = {{History textbooks and political power in contemporary Japan: controversial representations, pedagogy, and national identity}},
  author       = {Peter Cave},
  journal      = {International Journal of Asian Studies},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s1479591425100582},
}

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History textbooks and political power in contemporary Japan: controversial representations, pedagogy, and national identity

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.