From a Single Perspective to Multiple ViewpointsHistory education plays an extremely important role in modern society. However, many challenges have been identified with its current state, and a transformation toward more fruitful education is being called for.Current history education still tends to be biased toward a single perspective, nation-centered, or Western-centered historical views. This tendency presents a major obstacle to developing students' ability to understand history from multiple, pluralistic standpoints. For example, history textbooks adopted in many countries tend to emphasize their own nation's achievements and legitimacy, with limited opportunities to encounter other countries' perspectives and historical perceptions. According to one survey, fewer than 30 percent of developed countries' history textbooks incorporate critical perspectives into their narratives of national history. This demonstrates the persistence of a "nation-state historical view" in which history is conveniently told as a story of nation-building.This singular perspective causes students to perceive history as one unshakeable truth, inhibiting different interpretations and critical thinking. History is by no means a monolithic narrative. Even for the same event, its meaning and interpretation change greatly depending on the position, culture, and values of the people who experienced it and those who interpret it in later eras. For example, consider the history of colonial rule. In colonizing countries' textbooks, it is often justified in the name of "civilization" or "development," with its benefits emphasized. However, for people in colonized regions, it was a history of resistance and hardship, accompanied by exploitation and cultural destruction. When students are exposed only to the colonizer's perspective, it becomes difficult to understand the negative aspects of colonial rule and the serious impacts it had on subsequent societies.Furthermore, even taking just the descriptions of World War II, depictions of responsibility, victimhood, and perpetration vary greatly by country. In some countries, their own victimhood is emphasized, while in others, responsibility for harm is deeply reflected upon. Because there are few opportunities to encounter such different narratives, students find it difficult to understand that their own country's historical perception is relative, which can become a barrier to international discourse and deepening mutual understanding with other countries. For instance, just comparing Japanese, Chinese, and Korean textbook descriptions of the Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War reveals clear differences in perspective. Having students encounter these multiple viewpoints and consider the background and intentions behind each description is essential for cultivating the ability to view history from multiple angles.Incorporating multiple perspectives provides a foundation for students, as global citizens, to empathize with the experiences and viewpoints of people with diverse cultures and historical backgrounds and to understand complex international relations. This not only leads to a deeper and more accurate understanding of past events but also cultivates the ability to historically examine the roots of problems facing modern society, such as ethnic conflicts and regional disputes, and to seek solutions. History education should not be merely a list of facts about the past but should provide "thinking tools" for making the future better.Othering in History Education: A Serious ProblemThe "othering of history"—whereby women and other marginalized people and events are easily excluded from the "mainstream" of historical narrative and education—is also a serious problem. For example, in early 20th-century history textbooks, the history of women's social participation and labor was hardly addressed. While improvements have been seen in recent years, political and military history still predominate, and perspectives on how society's diverse components have lived throughout history tend to be inadequately covered. When a research institution analyzed history textbooks from over 100 countries, 60 percent had textbooks in which descriptions of women's roles accounted for less than 5 percent of the total content. This is the result of history being told from specific power structures and dominant perspectives, meaning that the experiences of voiceless people—slaves, indigenous peoples, immigrants, or people with disabilities—are erased from history's main stage.This "othered" history education distorts the full picture of history for students and impedes respect for diversity and the realization of an inclusive society in modern times. For example, when telling the history of colonial rule, if the perspectives of the colonized and narratives of resistance are not sufficiently told, students perceive it as a one-sided "history of progress" and cannot understand the serious impacts it had on subsequent societies. Efforts are needed to decipher untold historical truths from material objects such as museum exhibits and human remains. This is not only essential for deepening students' understanding of past events but also for cultivating the ability to historically examine the roots of discrimination and inequality in modern society.Integration of Japanese History and World HistoryThe long-standing practice of treating Japanese history and world history separately has created a situation where the connections between Japanese and world history and their relationship to modern society are difficult to understand. In many schools, Japanese history and world history are taught as separate subjects, and their interrelationships are not sufficiently demonstrated. For example, matters closely related to each other—such as global movements concurrent with the Meiji Restoration or the impact of Japan's actions during World War II on the entire world—tend to be taught only in fragments. In a survey conducted by an educational institution among high school students, only about 20 percent responded that they "study with awareness of the connections between Japanese history and world history." This makes it difficult for students to understand Japan's position within the intricately intertwined context of world history, as they perceive history as a list of isolated events.As "Decolonization: A World History of Empire, Violence, and Nation-States" and "Reexamination of Neo-Colonial World Historical Views" point out, the modern world is built upon the legacy of colonialism and global interactions. Learning Japanese history cut off from world history deprives students of opportunities to properly understand the influence Japan had on the world or the influence it received from the world. For example, perspectives such as the impact of Japan's modernization on other Asian countries or how postwar economic growth is positioned within the global economic system tend to be lacking.Furthermore, this lack of integration deprives students of opportunities to deeply examine the impact that differences in religion and geopolitics have had on history. For example, the role of Shinto and Buddhism in Japanese history is qualitatively different from the influence Christianity and Islam have had on Western societies and politics. By comparing from a world-historical perspective how the worldviews and ethical views held by each religion have influenced people's actions and social structures, students can deeply understand religious diversity and its historical role. For instance, by studying Japan's syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism alongside the Reformation movement in Europe, students can understand that there are patterns where religion becomes a driving force for social change and patterns where different religions coexist.Geopolitical factors have also had decisive influences on the historical formation of each region. The fact that Japan's history as an island nation has developed differently from continental nations' histories is greatly influenced by its geographical conditions. For example, Japan's history of incorporating culture from China and the Korean Peninsula through maritime traffic while developing its own unique culture, surrounded by sea since ancient times, contrasts with continental nations' history of contact with diverse cultures via land routes and formation of complex ethnic compositions. By incorporating these geopolitical perspectives, students can move beyond mere memorization of chronologies to deeply consider the "why" of how each region's history was formed.By integrating Japanese history and world history, students can understand Japan's position within the intricately intertwined context of world history rather than perceiving history as a list of isolated events, and develop the ability to historically examine and understand the roots of global-scale challenges facing modern society, such as environmental problems, international conflicts, or economic inequality. Learning history in fragments carries the danger of creating a biased perspective that fails to recognize the reality that the world is complexly intertwined.Lack of Active Learning and Deep DialogueAnother challenge is that textbooks and class content tend to focus on "finding the right answer" and formalistic worksheets, with students' own active inquiry and dialogue tending to remain within teachers' expectations. For example, much time is spent memorizing dates and practicing one-question-one-answer format problems, while deciphering historical materials and discussion from multiple perspectives are not sufficiently conducted. In one survey, over 60 percent of teachers responded that opportunities for students to freely express opinions and discuss in history classes occurred less than once a week. In such situations, students remain passive absorbers of given knowledge and do not develop the ability to formulate their own questions, think critically, and derive diverse interpretations.Historical research is always a process of questioning and dialogue. For students to perceive history as a "living discipline," it is essential that they acquire skills to critically analyze historical materials and interpret them from multiple perspectives. For example, by comparing contemporary newspaper articles and personal diaries reporting the same event, students can learn about the reliability of information and the existence of diverse perspectives. Also, by discussing diverse interpretations of historical events, students develop the ability to form their own opinions and respect others' opinions. Teachers are strongly required to serve as facilitators who support the process of students formulating their own questions, exploring, and discussing, rather than merely being transmitters of knowledge. This lack of active learning prevents students from developing the ability to apply history to modern society, as they perceive history as a list of past events.Transformation to New History EducationTo overcome these challenges, a transformation to decolonial and pluralistic history education based on "multi-perspective historical views," "connection with modern society," "active learning and deep dialogue," and "memory and inheritance" is essential.Cultivating Multi-Perspective Historical ViewsTo cultivate multi-perspective historical views, it is first necessary to reexamine textbook content and intentionally incorporate diverse historical narratives. For example, "multi-faceted source comparison learning," in which students are presented with multiple descriptions from textbooks and history books of different countries and positions when dealing with a historical event and have them compare and examine them, is effective. Through this, students realize that history is not fixed but open to diverse interpretations. Furthermore, by actively incorporating into the curriculum "peripheral histories" that have been outside central historical narratives, such as regional history and social history, students can perceive history as something more familiar and encounter diverse people's experiences.Strengthening Connection with Modern SocietyTo connect history with modern society, it is necessary to concretely demonstrate how past events are influencing the present or how modern challenges have been historically formed. For example, introduce "thematic learning" that examines modern challenges such as environmental problems, racial discrimination, and international conflicts not merely as contemporary issues but by delving into their historical background and roots. This allows students to realize that history is closely related to their own lives, leading to deeper learning. Also, when dealing with current international conflicts in international relations classes, by reviewing that region's colonial-era history and past ethnic migration history, students can understand the complex background of conflicts from multiple angles.Promoting Active Learning and Deep DialogueTo realize active learning and deep dialogue, opportunities should be actively provided for students to formulate their own questions, collect materials, analyze, and discuss. Specifically, introduce group work, debates, and inquiry-based learning based on historical materials, emphasizing the process of students establishing their own hypotheses and verifying them. For example, set assignments to decipher primary sources from the time (diaries, letters, official documents, etc.) regarding a historical figure's achievements and analyze from multiple angles the impacts that person's actions brought about. Also, teachers are required to serve as facilitators who promote student learning, not merely remaining as transmitters of knowledge. It is important to guarantee spaces where students can freely express opinions, listen to different opinions, and engage in constructive dialogue.Recognizing the Importance of Memory and InheritanceThe question of how to inherit memories of historical events also needs to be deeply explored in education, recognizing the importance of memory and inheritance. Considering efforts to prevent past events such as war experiences and disaster memories from fading and the significance of passing diverse people's experiences to the next generation is an important aspect of history education. For example, actively incorporate "fieldwork" and "witness learning" such as visiting war ruins remaining in the region or hearing testimonies from disaster survivors or former soldiers. In one survey, over 90 percent of students who participated in war experience inheritance activities responded that their interest in history increased. This shows that encountering living testimonies and stories is extremely effective in perceiving history as one's own concern and evoking deep empathy. Also, by learning about the roles of institutions such as museums and archives that preserve and exhibit history, students can develop a meta-perspective on how history is "created and inherited."Through these transformations, students can view past events from multiple angles, understand their relevance to modern society, learn actively, and perceive history as their own concern through deep dialogue. This goes beyond mere acquisition of knowledge, leading to the cultivation of critical thinking skills, empathy, and the power to create the future—all necessary for navigating the complex modern society.References"Slaves, Bones, and Bronze: The Historiography of Decolonization" by Kumie Inose "Decolonization: A World History of Empire, Violence, and Nation-States" by Dane Kennedy "Reexamination of Neo-Colonial World Historical Views" by Ichiro Maekawa "To Historians Who Cross Borders: Messages from the Modern Social History Research Group" by Minoru Tanigawa