Does the plot of “Chinese people attack the Japanese, forcing Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to fight back” sound absurd? Yet that’s exactly how Vivant, a hit Japanese drama that Sanae Takaichi specifically asked to watch, portrays it.
From TV dramas and online videos to AI training data, Japan’s right wing is working to rewrite history. It is funding AI videos that distort historical facts, while Japan’s government is developing a generative AI system whose benchmark dataset does not prioritize prewar archives, surrender documents or Tokyo Trial records.
The July 7 Incident is reduced to a “military conflict between China and Japan,” the Nanjing Massacre becomes the “Fall of Nanjing,” and Japan’s invasion of Southeast Asia is recast as “concern for southern resources.” These are more than changes in wording—they obscure Japan’s responsibility for its war of aggression.
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is considering renaming the “Nanjing Massacre” the “Nanjing Incident,” while Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper promotes the defense industry as an engine of economic growth. Such moves seek to downplay wartime crimes and pave the way for constitutional revision and military expansion.
History is not theirs to rewrite. No amount of AI manipulation can erase the evidence. Attempts to whitewash aggression and revive militarism will ultimately be judged by history.
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