The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has announced the results of its screening textbooks scheduled for use in junior high schools beginning in April 2006. Two things are particularly notable with regard to neighboring Asian nations such as South Korea and China. First, descriptions of Japan's wartime actions have been simplified or softened. Second, the government's views are reflected in censors' explanatory references to territorial issues.
History textbooks no longer mention ianfu (comfort women) -- a controversial term that refers to women who were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Some texts use roundabout expressions, such as "those who were sent to comfort facilities."
Indirect expressions are also used to describe Koreans who were forced to work in Japan during the war. The word "kyousei" (forced) is nowhere to be found. Texts that refer to those Koreans merely say that they were "brought to Japan."