Japan has hundreds of right-wing groups that embrace the idea that the nation did no wrong in World War II. These groups do not have a wide following, and most Japanese ignore their preachings from dark trucks equipped with deafening loudspeakers. Occasional Violent Attacks

But ultra-nationalists occasionally resort to violence. In January 1990, the Mayor of Nagasaki, Hitoshi Motoshima, was shot in the chest by a right-wing gunman. Mr. Motoshima, who recovered, had said Emperor Hirohito bore some responsibility for World War II.

In March 1992, a rightist fired three shots, all of which missed, at Shin Kanemaru, who at the time was one of Japan's most powerful politicians but who has since been disgraced in a bribery scandal. The assailant said he had heard that Mr. Kanemaru had been trying to normalize Japan's relations with Communist North Korea.

The shootings have evoked memories the 1930's, when right-wing military officers committed a wave of assassinations as Japan moved toward involvement in World War II. Some analysts have said such attacks stifle free speech by causing people to think twice before condemning Japan's behavior in the war.

Nearly 50 years after the end of World War II, Japan is still having trouble coming to grips with its role in the conflict, and the issue can arouse fierce passions.