FORMATION OF THE HISTORICAL MEMORY OF ASIA-PACIFIC WAR 1931–1945 AND THE PROBLEM OF ITS DESCRIPTION IN SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS IN MODERN JAPAN
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Abstract
The role of public historical memory in a process of the evolvement of political nations, as well as the role of a state and a society in the formation of a historical memory, are the main theme of the article. Taking Japan as an example, it argues that the modern Japanese society has not reached a consensus concerning the events of the recent past, mainly related to the role of Japan in the Asia-Pacific War of 1931–1945. The article emphasizes that one of the important reason that prevented the formation of consensus and commonly accepted historical memory of the war in Japanese society is a critical attitude of the influential part of the Japanese intellectual and political elite to the results of the Tokyo Tribunal. The verdict of Tokyo Tribunal was initially accepted by majority of Japanese society and the public opinion in post-war Japan was dominated by the “leftist” discourse that unambiguously accepted Japan’s guilt for waging an aggressive war, but in the 90s we witness the beginning of what can be called the “rightist” turn of public mood. According to the conservative intellectuals and politicians, who were mainly in the marginal position up to this period, Japan’s accusations of waging an aggressive war are unfair, and indictments for war crimes are tendentious and exaggerated. Public discussions on this issue also find its way into the discussion about the content of Japanese school history textbooks, which until the 1990s was totally dominated by “leftist” discourse. The new history textbook, created by conservative scholars, was officially authorized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Japan in 2001, and it is gradually gaining in popularity. The “rightist” turn in Japanese society is also reflected in the appearance of books, graphic novels, and films with an appropriate content.
How to Cite
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Asia-Pacific war, history textbook, International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Japan, politics of historical memory
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