This article examines modem Japanese history education, with a particular focus on the history of the wars involving Japan from the 1930's until the end of World War Two. The field of Social Studies was introduced to Japan in 1947 and was heavily influenced by the politics of the Cold War era. How Japanese people have interpreted the war has come to have a special meaning to people in East Asia, and history classes in schools are an important tool in cultivating Japanese people's historical consciousness, however the content of these classes has not been well received by the international community. This article examines how Social Studies was initially established and then transformed after the Second World War, and introduces the Rekishi Kyōikusha Kyōgikai (History Educationalist Conference of Japan, hereafter Rekkyōkyō) and its work to counter conservative politicians' influence over history education, including an examination of how the association's members teach about the war.