The legal battle that began in 1965 has largely focused on whether the Education Ministry's screening of such books is constitutional. However, in 1995, the issue took a new twist when Nobukatsu Fujioka, a professor of education at Tokyo University, formed a group of teachers and scholars who demanded reconsideration of modern history education. His view has received the support of a considerable number of lawmakers, writers and citizens who are unhappy with the present content of history education. Meanwhile, many historians and educators who have studied the crimes committed by the Imperial Army in World War II refute Fujioka's opinions.
Comfort women is the term used to describe women who provided sex for Japanese soldiers.
Recently, The Daily Yomiuri interviewed Fujioka and one of his major opponents, Yutaka Yoshida, a professor of social science at Hitotsubashi University. However, Yoshida, an expert on Japanese war crimes, noted that other Asian nations perceive the views of Fujioka and his followers to be indicative of rising Japanese nationalism. He stressed that educators and historians must maintain an open dialogue with South Korea, China and other Asian countries to deepen mutual understanding. I was a leftist until the Gulf War in 1991. But during the war, I decided that Japanese pacifism, based on Article 9 of the Constitution, was useless and self-righteous.