noun
masochistic view of history; self-tormenting historical view
A critical term, often used in political or historical discourse, for a perspective that emphasizes one's own country's or group's past wrongdoings in a self-flagellating manner.
彼は自虐史観に基づいた教科書を批判した。
He criticized textbooks based on a masochistic view of history.
自虐史観から脱却すべきだという意見もある。
There is also an opinion that we should break away from a self-tormenting historical view.
Historical revisionism is a broader term for reinterpreting history, while 自虐史観 specifically criticizes a self-deprecating stance.
Compound of 自虐 (self-torment) and 史観 (historical view). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely emerged in modern Japanese political discourse.