A Japanese textbook criticized for distorting history will be used by only 0.4 percent of junior high school students nationwide, according to a government survey published on Wednesday. The textbook, compiled by the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform and published by Fusosha Publishing Inc, will be used by 4,912 students from next year, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said.

The book is widely slashed for glossing over Japanese aggression and colonial rule in Asia.

It's adoption rate this year was slightly higher than four years ago, but far from the publisher's target of 10 percent.

At the same time, the group's civic studies textbook will be used by 0.2 percent of all students, or an estimated 2,338 students.