How Americans view Sino-Japanese ties!

[Citizen James]

Well, the big difference is that in Japan, there is a certain amount of freedom of speech, including the right of a small group of extremists to advocate a revisionist textbook.  Disagreeing with the government is allowed.

In China, the extremists tend to hold positions of power, the textbooks are highly revisionist, and people who openly disagree with the government tend to end up dead.

Given the tendency of the Chinese government to brutally supress dissent (for example, the Tien an Mein square massacre), it is clear that these current 'protests' are not opposed and most likely are sanctioned by the PRC.

I also strongly suspect that as others have said it has little to do with a couple of loonies advocating a revisionist textbook, and far more to do with China opposing Japan's effort to join the UN security council.

Japan has evolved greatly since WW2.  China remains largely stuck in the feudalistic ethnocentric mindset which has continually slowed it's progress over the past century.