Re-examining Historical Peace Education in East Asian History - The Case of the Sino-Japanese War through the “War System” Framework -

This paper suggests an example of history-based peace education grounded in critical thinking by analyzing the case of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) through the methodological framework of the “war system,” thereby proposing an alternative direction for peace education within the context of history learning. An analysis of the East Asian History curriculum and textbooks reveals that the subject reflects “traditional peace education” by promoting mutual understanding through cultural exchange and diverse perspectives. However, the course lacks critical reflection on structural causes and does little to mitigate historical conflicts. Meanwhile, UNESCO, a leader in institutional peace education, has recently emphasized thinking skills―especially critical thinking―as key goals of peace education in response to global challenges. Accordingly, this paper highlights the need for cognitive competencies such as critical thinking when designing a new peace education framework. To this end, it adopts the concept of the “war system” as an analytical tool―interpreting war not as a single event but as a structural and psychological system. Based on this framework, the paper proposes eight guiding questions for lesson planning or for developing new war history narratives. By focusing on the First Sino-Japanese War―where the features of the “war system” are especially evident―this paper applies the framework across structural, cognitive, and ethical-reflective dimensions. In doing so, it complements existing pluralistic models and extends history-based peace education into a more holistic and critical form.