TOKYO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government's 2025 Defense White Paper, which was released recently, once again exaggerates the "security threats surrounding Japan." Meanwhile, for the first time, the defense ministry this year distributed a children's version of the annual report to elementary schools nationwide, fueling widespread concern.

According to NBC Nagasaki Broadcasting, a private broadcaster in Nagasaki Prefecture, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has distributed some 6,100 copies of the children's version to 2,400 elementary schools nationwide.

According to the defense ministry website, the children's version of the defense white paper consists of four sections. In the first section "Why the Self-Defense Forces are necessary," the publication emphasizes that "deterrence" is of vital importance for preventing wars.

The second section, "What is happening in Japan's surrounding areas," portrays some neighboring countries as "military threats," claiming that "the region where Japan is located is not safe."

The third section, "What should Japan do," further explains why Japan needs to increase its defense spending and enhance its defense capabilities, pointing out that the so-called "counterattack capability" is the key to strengthening its defense, while the fourth section introduces the disaster relief functions of the Self-Defense Forces.

An online version of the children edition, based on the Defense White Paper published annually, has been released on the Internet by the defense ministry since 2021, but this year marked the first time that it has been made in the form of a book and sent to elementary schools.

The move has raised concerns among people from all walks of life in Japan as it is believed that elementary school students have not yet fully developed their independent thinking skills, and schools should be places that foster values such as respect, peace, kindness and diversity, rather than places to create crises and incite hostility.

Ukeru Magosaki, a former Japanese foreign ministry official, told Xinhua that "school education has a significant influence on the formation of students' ideas. If this trend (of 'threat theory' entering schools) continues, it will foster belligerence and hostility toward foreign countries among the younger generation," noting it is a regrettable phenomenon.

Japanese historian Atsushi Kouketsu believes that instilling in children the notion that a neighboring country is a "threat" will cause them to develop prejudice against that country, thereby weakening their curiosity and interest in learning about that country.

"What is important is to foster an awareness of understanding and respect and deepen a sense of friendship and goodwill through exchanges and learning of historical and cultural knowledge," said Kouketsu in an interview with Xinhua.

"The children's version of the Defense White Paper is the most inappropriate textbook." Koketsu emphasized that to cultivate historical awareness, one must first learn the correct historical facts.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which is an opportunity for Japan to deeply reflect on its historical responsibilities, scholars said. However, in recent years, Japan has been constantly making moves in the compilation of textbooks.

The right-wing forces have frequently advocated denying the Nanjing Massacre, selectively ignoring the germ warfare, downplaying the history of aggression and glorifying the war of aggression. A series of moves have allowed historical revisionism to distort the historical views of Japanese students.

The introduction of the children's version of the defense white paper into elementary schools makes people even more worried that the Japanese government is further pushing for a "rightward shift" in the education sector and even the entire country.

Japanese modern and contemporary history scholar Ryuji Ishida told Xinhua that due to historical reasons, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have their uniqueness, and if the responsibility for the war of aggression is disregarded, it will be impossible to accurately understand the Self-Defense Forces.

However, the Japanese government has been attempting to remove these historical constraints, and this trend has spread to the field of education, Ishida said, "This children's version of the 'Defense White Paper' downplays the historical background and only allows children to understand the 'positive' side of the Self-Defense Forces, which is an act that undermines postwar (peace) efforts."

According to local media reports, civil groups including the Nagasaki Prefecture chapter of the New Japan Women's Association on Tuesday submitted a request to the Nagasaki Prefecture Board of Education, hoping that the defense ministry's distribution of the children's version of the "Defense White Paper" to elementary schools would be withdrawn.

They argued that the Japanese government, disregarding the fact that children are in the process of growing up, is forcibly instilling its own viewpoints into them, which is an unacceptable behavior.■