Nagasaki: In October 2025, Nagasaki City, Japan, revealed a draft revision of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, proposing to alter the depiction of the Nanjing Massacre to the "Nanjing Incident." This proposed change, and the suggestion by some to remove related exhibits, has sparked significant criticism within Japan.

According to Namibia Press Agency, this is not an isolated incident. Investigations by Xinhua have found that many "peace" memorial museums across Japan are subtly altering exhibits. Displays that once highlighted Japan's history of aggression are being minimized, reduced, or erased. Only a few museums now present a comprehensive view of Japan's wartime actions.

The Osaka International Peace Center, once a prominent venue for anti-war education, faced pressure from right-wing groups and removed exhibits on the Nanjing Massacre and other wartime atrocities. When it reopened in 2015, it had shifted focus to narratives of victimization, such as the U.S. bombing of Osaka, rather than Japan's wartime responsibilities.

Masahiko Yamabe, a war history expert, noted that the core content on Japan's wartime aggression is being excluded from exhibits. This trend reflects a rise in historical revisionism in Japan, with changes also observed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. A 2017 renovation reduced the mention of Japan's invasion of China to a brief and sanitized narrative, omitting the term "massacre."

Ryuji Ishida, a scholar of Japanese history, criticized these changes as distortions that downplay Japan's wartime actions. Meanwhile, the Kyoto Museum for World Peace at Ritsumeikan University faced internal attempts to remove displays of wartime atrocities. However, opposition from academic staff led to the withdrawal of such plans.

Yamabe criticized a recent exhibition at the National Archives of Japan for framing the war's start as Japan's conflict with the U.S. and U.K., ignoring earlier aggression in China. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, yet discussions continue about revising history in Nagasaki.

A Nagasaki citizens group has urged the museum to maintain the original terms "Nanjing Massacre" and "aggression." They argue that revising these terms is an attempt to obscure Japan's negative history. Yamabe noted a regression in how Japanese museums depict wartime history, with a worrying trend of narratives that justify Japan's role in the war.

Takakage Fujita, of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, attributed the spread of revisionist ideas to inadequate history education in Japan. He emphasized the need for improved history education to help the younger generation understand Japan's aggressive past and its responsibilities.

Yamabe expressed concern over Japan's declining history education, which leaves the younger generation unaware of historical truths. He hopes "peace" memorial museums in Japan will embrace their educational role, presenting an objective account of Japan's war history to promote peace and prevent future conflicts.