“Rote memorization has displaced critical thinking and driven young Japanese students away from the study of history, argues the author, who blames the universities’ own fact-driven entrance examinations for the crisis facing the humanities and social sciences in higher education.” https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a05103/exam-hell-and-the-crisis-in-history-education.html
The focus on “obvious facts” (i.e. basic rote memorization) is actually deceptive in a larger way according to this article – a focus on basic facts has led over time to less interest and less overall understanding of history.