I would imagine that Chinese students study Japanese imperialism a lot more than a far away war they didn't materially participate in. But I don't know for sure. In America we study both because the US was involved in both theaters.

Unfortunately the Imperial Japanese history has been heavily used as a propaganda instrument. Students don’t have much chance to learn the “real” history. What little taught also subjects to double standards, e.g. the Japanese were evil to propose the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, but China projecting power to the South Sea is totally fine and can never go wrong.

As a German, I was surprised to find out that my Chinese friends learned a lot of German history in school. Not just about the Third Reich, but also 19th-century historical figures like Marx (obviously due to his ideological importance) and Bismarck, the Weimar Republic and some things I don't recall right now.

It's certainly more than I was taught about China in turn. I don't think even the German colonial presence in Qingdao was ever mentioned.

Most people haven't taken the time to read that book. In East Asian nations the public perception of Nazi Germany isn't nearly as negative as it is in Europe and the Americas.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2016/12/29/why-as...

Make no mistake, Nazi is still being hated, it is just that people aren't that sensitive about its presence. The Nazi costume had appeared in various cosplay exhibitions in China before, and people who aren't aware of the context think it is just some good looking uniform.

Until the photos spreaded, controversy follows, then it gets banned.