The Open University of Japan, a distance learning institution, deleted part of an examination question it posted on its website after concluding the phraseology "was inappropriate because it criticizes the current administration," it was learned Tuesday.

The question, which was included in an examination on Japanese art history, begins with the passage: "The current administration is preparing a system for Japan to conduct war again. It is said to be intended to protect peace and the Japanese people, but most wars are started under such excuses."

The university, called Hoso Daigaku in Japanese, offers courses via TV, radio and the Internet and was founded under a government initiative based on a single-issue law for the purposes of its founding. Although it is classified as a private school, it differs from other schools in that more than half of its operating expenses are covered by the government.