Ask Japan.

First of all, I would like to thank you for your question.

I am keen to remind you however that you should not be passing comment on how I portray my history, as you are impinging on the sovereign right of my people.

That being said, I can assure you that a minority of schools utilise the textbooks that caused such a controversy and that many teachers within that district use supplementary materials to cover topics such as comfort women and the atrocities of Nanjing.

Each education district has the right to set their curriculum and I would not be willing to affect this right. It is only natural that in a country as diverse as mine that different districts would have different needs.

When it comes to the ambiguity of the numbers debate concerning the Nanjing massacre, there are efforts towards ignoring the number. It has been proven that neither side can agree on whom should be considered a victim and the scope of said atrocity, however I encourage the joint recognition that it was an atrocity. I hope this signifies a step forward in Sino-Japanese relations which have already been proven to be financially beneficial to both sides.

There are many different objectives behind the altering of history by 'right-wing extremists.' They have assured many however that it is from a sincere desire to see the youth of Japan take pride in their country that they endeavor to hide some of their past. While I do not condone this, I have noticed a malaise within the youth of the country. There is a lack of pride and ambition, and where there is ambition they often leave for another country.

I think this could be better dealt with through a reformation of the schooling system, including higher education. The habit of just letting university students pass because they attended classes is no longer working and companies are having to train the employees as though they were straight out of high school. Those who do make an effort in their higher education and penalised and looked down upon for their efforts.

The younger generation needs to take pride in themselves before they can take pride in the country. This will not happen with the stiffling of creativity and the suffocation of all different aspects of history.

I would encourage an exploration of Japanese history in Japanese scholarship to the extent it has been delved to in English speaking scholarship. As long as the older generation do not face their past, the younger generation will struggle with their future.

I do not condone burying the past, however I do feel the same anxiousness that the extreme of my society feel. I do feel that there is a lack of pride in my country, and that it perhaps lies in the lack of individuality.

The older generation needs to give up on the idea that Japanese culture is unique and obscure to other nationalities and simply look at what Japan can contribute to the world. If they were to do this, the next generation would follow their example and Japan could give up it's false, unsatisfactory pride and once again have something for which it could hold up it's head high.

I hope you are able to deal with your history in a similar way.