Visually unravelling the
"differences in descriptions" of history.
Even for the same historical event, textbook descriptions vary significantly depending on the country or region. HistoryDiff is a platform that highlights these differences in perception through text comparison (Diff).
Comparison Archive
Wartime human rights issues/aggression1930s-1945Various parts of China and Japanese-occupied areas
Description of the Japanese military “comfort women” issue
The Japanese military's "comfort women" system was a system of systematic sexual violence established by Japanese imperialism during its war of aggre...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Pandemic/Public Health2019-2026Wuhan, China
Origin of COVID-19: Cold chain theory
The theory is that SARS-CoV-2 originated outside China and was brought to Wuhan via imported frozen foods and their packaging materials (cold chain)....
Comparison Targets:
Cold chain theory (Chinese government recommended theory)Laboratory leak theory (Wuhan Virus Research Institute accident theory)Natural origin theory (zoonosis theory)
Political movements/civil wars1966-1976All over China
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
In 1966, Mao Zedong misjudged the situation in the process of socialist construction and launched the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" under t...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Territorial issues/Sovereignty1982South Atlantic
Argentina's Position on the Malvinas (Falkland Islands)
Argentina maintains that the Malvinas Islands (called the Falkland Islands by the United Kingdom) are an integral part of Argentine territory. This c...
Comparison Targets:
ArgentinaJapanUnited KingdomUnited States
Wartime human rights issues/aggression1942-1945Various parts of China and Japan
Description regarding forced recruitment and forced labor issues of Chinese people
During the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War, Japan forcibly took large numbers of Chinese people from occupied areas of China and forced them to...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Nuclear and environmental issues2023-PresentPacific Ocean
Description of Japan's ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water
The Japanese government's dumping of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean is an irresponsible act...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Historical controversy/ethnic issues37 BC-668 BC (disputed since 2002)Northeast China/Northern Korean Peninsula
Description of historical affiliation of Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC - 668 BC) was an ancient state that existed from present-day Northeastern China to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. In Chi...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Industry/Technology/Intellectual PropertyFrom 2004 (Start of technology introduction)Japan, China, Korea
Description of high-speed rail technology and development
China's high-speed railway (China High-Speed Rail) has built the world's largest network in a short period of time, and is now proud to have the hi...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Political movements/thought control1956-1959All over China
Hundred Flowers Movement and Anti-Right Struggle
In 1956, Mao Zedong advocated the policy of ``Hundred Flowers Free, Hundred Schools Fight'' to encourage free discussion in academic and literary fie...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Occupation and peace negotiations1948-presentMiddle East/Palestine
Description of the Palestinian issue and Israeli territory
The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was an unjust event that took away the land of Palestinian Arabs, and is a historical stain on the e...
Comparison Targets:
EgyptIranIsraelSaudi ArabiaTurkey
Racial discrimination / AggressionSeptember 1923Kanto Region, Japan
Description of the Massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake
On September 1, 1923, a major earthquake struck the Kanto region of Japan. In the ensuing chaos, various rumors about Koreans spread rapidly, and Jap...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKoreaUnited States
Territorial issues/Sovereignty1947–presentKashmir Region (South Asia) / Aksai Chin
China's Position on the Kashmir Conflict
China's stance on the Kashmir issue is multifaceted, shaped by its complex bilateral relationships with both India and Pakistan. Officially, China ma...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaIndiaPakistanTibet (Government in Exile)United States
Cultural debates/intangible cultural heritageFrom 2020 (controversy intensifies)China/Korea
Description of the origin and cultural affiliation of kimchi
Kimchi (Korean: 김치) is a pickle made by salting vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and fermenting them with condiments such as chili peppers, garlic,...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKorea
Colonial rule, imperialism, and historical recognition issues1910-1945Korean Peninsula/East Asia
China's view on Japan's colonial rule of Korea
In Chinese history textbooks, Japan's colonial rule of Korea is taught as part of the Japanese imperialist invasion and control system in East Asia. ...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanHomeUnited States
Invasion/ResistanceSeptember 1931Northeast China
Descriptions of the September 18 Incident and Japan's invasion of Northeast China
On September 18, 1931, the Japanese imperialist Kwantung Army personally blew up the South Manchuria Railway at Liuzhao Lake in Shenyang and began a ...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Invasion/all-out resistanceJuly 1937Marco Polo Bridge, Beiping (Beijing), China
Description of the 77 Incidents and the start of full-scale resistance
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese invasion force launched a provocative attack on the Chinese garrison near the Marco Polo Bridge in the southwest of Bei...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Historical perception/controversyDecember 1937Nanjing, China
Description of the number of victims of the Nanjing Massacre
Chinese textbooks and official statements consistently state that the number of victims of the Nanjing Massacre was **more than 300,000**. The main ...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanTaiwanUnited States
Invasion/GenocideDecember 1937Nanjing, China
Description of the Nanjing Massacre
On December 13, 1937, Japanese invaders occupied Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, and caused one of the most brutal massacres in human ...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Postwar trials/war responsibility1946-1947Nanjing, China
Description of the Nanjing Military Tribunal
From 1946 to 1947, the government of the Republic of China established a military tribunal (Ministry of National Defense Trial War Criminals Military...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanTaiwanUnited States
Territorial issues/sovereignty1855-presentFour Northern Islands (Etorofu Island, Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island, Habomai Islands)
Description regarding the ownership of the Northern Territories
The four northern islands (Etorofu Island, Kunashiri Island, Shikotan Island, and Habomai Islands) are indigenous Japanese territory and are currentl...
Comparison Targets:
JapanRussiaAmerica
National liberation/victoryAugust 1945Mainland China
Victory in the War of Resistance and Surrender of the Japanese Army
On August 15, 1945, the Japanese army declared unconditional surrender due to pressure from the Allies and the unyielding resistance of the entire Ch...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKoreaTaiwanUnited States
Territorial issues/war1689-presentOuter Manchuria, Amur River Basin, Ussuri River Basin, Central Asian Border Area
War and territorial issues between China and Russia: China's perspective
The history of territorial disputes between China and Russia is a history of imperialist aggression and unequal treaties, and is an important chapter...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanRussia
Place name/designation problem19th century-presentSea of Japan
Description of the name of the Sea of Japan
"Sea of Japan" is the only internationally established name, and the Japanese government has consistently maintained its legitimacy. The name Sea ...
Comparison Targets:
JapanKorea
Territorial issues/sovereignty14th century-presentEast China Sea
Description of the territorial rights of Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands
Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times, and China has undisputed sovereignty over them. Acco...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanTaiwanUnited States
Post-war processing/POW issue1945-1956Siberia/Central Asia
Description of Siberian internment
In August 1945, the Soviet Union unilaterally broke the Japan-Soviet Neutrality Treaty and entered the war against Japan, invading Manchuria, Sakhali...
Comparison Targets:
JapanSoviet Union/RussiaUnited States
Aggression/unequal treaties1894-1895Korean Peninsula/Chinese Coast/Taiwan
Description of the Kogo War and the Treaty of Maseki (Treaty of Shimonoseki)
In 1894, Japan used a peasant uprising in Korea as an excuse to launch a war of aggression against China. This was the "Kogo War (China-Japan Kogo Wa...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Territorial issues/sovereigntyAncient-PresentSouth China Sea (Spratly Islands)
Description of territorial rights in the Spratly Islands (South China Sea)
The Spratly Islands (Chinese name: Spratly Islands) are an inherent territory of China, and China has unquestionable sovereignty over the islands in ...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaPhilippinesUnited StatesVietnam
Territorial issues/sovereignty17th century-presentSea of Japan
Description of the territorial rights of Takeshima (Dokdo)
Takeshima is an inherent territory of Japan both in light of historical facts and under international law. It is currently illegally occupied by Sout...
Comparison Targets:
JapanKoreaUnited States
Historical revisionism/foreign issues1982-presentJapan, China, Korea
Description of the problem of falsification of Japanese history textbooks
In 1982, the Japanese government changed the description of "invasion" into China in history textbooks to "expansion" through textbook certification....
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKoreaUnited States
Political movements/social stability1989Beijing Tiananmen Square
1989 political storm (64 Incident)
In the spring of 1989, some students in Beijing gathered in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the death of former General Secretary Hu Yaobang, against...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Territorial disputes, sovereignty & securityFebruary 2022-PresentUkraine
Russia's Perspective on the Special Military Operation in Ukraine
In the official position of the Russian Federation government, and in the new Russian history textbook introduced in **2023** (supervised by Vladimir...
Comparison Targets:
RussiaUkraine
Aggression/war crimes1937-1945Harbin, Northeast China
Description of the bacterial warfare and human experiments of the 731st Unit of the Japanese Invading Army
The 731st Japanese Invasion Army was the organization that committed one of the most brutal war crimes during the Japanese imperialist invasion of Ch...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanUnited States
Wartime human rights issues and historical awareness issues1943-1944Western Ukraine (former Polish Volhynia region)
Volhynia Massacre and Genocide by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)
In Poland, the events that took place in the **Volhynia Region** in **1943-1944** are remembered as the ``Volhynian Massacre''**, a systematic massac...
Comparison Targets:
PolandUkraine
Invasion/Resistance1931-1945Mainland China
War of Resistance and Japanese Invasion
On September 18, 1931, Japanese imperialism caused the "918 Incident" in Shenyang and occupied three provinces by force. This was the beginning of Ja...
Comparison Targets:
ChinaJapanKoreaUnited States
About HistoryDiff
History is written and interpreted differently depending on the perspective, country, or region. The objective of HistoryDiff is to compile descriptions from history textbooks worldwide and present their differences objectively and visually through direct text comparison (Diff).
This project does not aim to criticize or defend any specific historical narrative or nation. By presenting different perspectives side-by-side along with their historical context, we hope to encourage a more multi-faceted understanding of history.
Key Features
- ✓Multilateral Comparison: View and compare descriptions from different countries side-by-side.
- ✓Multilingual Support: Access historical texts in their original languages, translated into English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
- ✓Community Verification: Explore objectiveness and context through curated verification notes and historical analysis.