Clued-in | Japan's defense white paper for children indoctrinates them with hatred
Cartoon by Ma Hongliang
Japan released the outline of its 2026 defense white paper, Kyodo News reported. The outline once again hyped up alleged "military threats" from its neighbors in an apparent attempt to stoke public anxiety over security.
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 and distributing them to elementary schools nationwide.
Japan's right-wing forces are packaging the country's controversial military buildup and wartime history under the guise of addressing "security anxiety" and embedding such narratives in children's minds, raising a generation on a worldview shaped by hatred and threats — a strategy whose consequences will ultimately come back to haunt Japan itself.
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