Japanese protest history cover-up in text book

Over 100,000 people in Okinawa, Japan protested over proposals to change the account in school text books detailing the account of Japanese army involvement in mass suicides during World War 2. The protest was against moves to modify and tone down passages that say the army ordered Okinawans to kill themselves rather than surrender. When US soldiers invaded Okinawa at the end of World War II, more than 200,000 people died including thousands of civilians who killed themselves. Many survivors insist the military told people to commit suicide, partly due to fears over what they might tell the invaders and because being taken prisoner was considered shameful.The rally was the biggest staged on the southern island since it was returned to Japan by the United States in 1972. It is encouraging to see people prepared to face their own skeletons in the closet. As protesters said, these histories should not be forgotten. Remembering the mistakes of history allows us to learn for the future.