By Liu Wenzhang
According to Japan's Kyodo News, the outline of Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper has been released. It follows the same script: repeatedly hyping so-called "military threats" from neighboring countries while deliberately stirring up public anxiety over security. More alarming than the white paper itself, however, is the rapid spread of this distorted narrative to increasingly younger audiences, extending even into elementary school teaching.
Since 2021, Japan's Ministry of Defense has compiled and released a children's version of the Defense White Paper every year and promoted it through its official online platforms. Last year, it went a step further by printing hard copies for the first time and distributing them to elementary schools nationwide, bringing the so-called "threat theory" directly onto school campuses, into classrooms and ultimately into students' schoolbags. From online promotion to offline distribution, this series of moves demonstrates the clear aim of deliberately shaping the perceptions of the next generation.
From the National Diet to elementary school classrooms, and from policy documents to illustrated children's books, Japan's rightwing is carefully constructing a "child-oriented" trap: making its highly controversial path of military expansion appear natural through child-friendly packaging; replacing the war history that should be subject to profound reflection with artificially manufactured security anxiety; and planting in the subconscious of children with the notion that "enemies are lurking outside.".
Such tactics are nothing new and bear unmistakable echoes of history. It was precisely through relentless propaganda, indoctrination and public opinion manipulation that Japanese militarism gradually mobilized public sentiment and ultimately dragged the country into the abyss of war. The lessons of history have not truly been learned. Instead, they are re-emerging today in a subtler form. That is precisely why these developments are particularly alarming.
At the heart of the political calculations of Japan's right-wing politicians lies a well-worn formula: by constantly exaggerating "external threats," they can more easily secure public support for military expansion; by continuously heightening regional tensions, they can gradually normalize moves to break through the constraints of the Pacifist Constitution; and by keeping society immersed in a prolonged sense of security anxiety, they can quietly advance a series of sensitive and potentially dangerous policy changes.
Even more worrying is that this distorted narrative continues to spread among increasingly younger groups, poisoning an entire generation of minors. The danger of such subtle influence may even exceed that of overt military actions, as it is planting long-term landmines for the future. When a biased "threat theory" is wrapped in the seemingly harmless form of comics, illustrations and children's books, it becomes even more deceptive and difficult to detect.
Children, whose critical thinking is still developing, often lack the ability to distinguish such one-sided narratives, making them more susceptible to distorted perceptions of right and wrong. Over time, hostility and confrontation become ingrained in the thinking of an entire generation. As Magosaki Ukeru, a former official of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once warned: "If this trend (of 'threat theory' entering schools) continues, it will foster belligerence and hostility toward foreign countries among the younger generation."
Japan's rightwing has turned the Defense White Paper into children's reading material in an attempt to plant the seeds of confrontation in the minds of the next generation at an early age. Yet it has overlooked one simple truth: a country obsessed with manufacturing imaginary enemies will ultimately fall victim to the security anxiety of its own making. For the sake of Japan's future, what children need is not a narrative of confrontation stuffed into their schoolbags, but a belief in peace, respect for history, and goodwill and understanding toward a shared future for the region. If even the innocence of elementary school classrooms is overtaken by the "threat theory", Japan will only move further away from becoming a truly "normal country".
Editor's Note: Originally published on people.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.