Philip A. Seaton - Japans Contested War Memories: The Memory Rifts in Historical Consciousness of World War II

Japan's Contested War Memories

Japan's Contested War Memories explores the ways in which World War II has been remembered and commemorated in Japan, with a particular focus on the period from 1972 (the return of Okinawa to Japan) to the 60th anniversary commemorations in 2005. Analysing the variety of ways in which the Japanese people narrate, contest and interpret the past, the book seeks to define and challenge the 'orthodoxy' in the English-language media which is critical of 'the Japanese' or 'Japan' for the way in which they have 'inadequately addressed the past'. Instead, Seaton argues that the ideological 'memory rifts' in interpretations of history and contestation over the government's handling of war responsibility issues have ensured that war history in Japan remains a subject more divisive and widely argued over than in any of the other major World War II combatant nations.

By drawing on extensive analysis of the Japanese media, Japan's Contested War Memories applies the latest international war memory and media studies theory to provide a significant and engaging study that will appeal to scholars and students of Japanese history, politics, cultural studies, society and memory theory.

Philip A.Seaton is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Media and Communication, Hokkaido University, Japan. His webpage, which contains links to many online resources and an online appendix, is www.philipseaton.net.

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Japan's Contested War Memories

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Philip A.Seaton

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First published 2007
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I have incurred numerous debts in the course of writing this book. In Dr Alistair Thomson of Sussex University I could not have asked for a better mentor to guide and inspire me through the years of doctoral research which form the basis of the book. A scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education enabled me to undertake fieldwork at the University of Tokyo under Professor Takahashi Tetsuya, whose guidance regarding Japanese-language materials was invaluable.

I have received great encouragement from many people. First and foremost, this book simply would not have been possible without the love and patience of all my family and friends. As the research developed, Professors Tony McCaffery, Neki Akira and Koike Kiyoyuki provided invaluable practical and moral support at critical junctures. Colleagues at Nagaoka University of Technology and Hokkaido University have been unfailingly supportive, as have all the staff at the dozens of libraries and museums where I have carried out the research. I owe special thanks to Bill Underwood and Rachele Stucker for their invaluable comments on earlier drafts of the book. Stephanie Rogers and Helen Baker at Routledge have been unfailingly supportive editors. And last but not least, this book would not be what it is without the hundreds of Japanese people, many of whose names I never knew, who have taken the trouble to explain to me their views about the war and suggest useful materials.

Needless to say I have done everything I can to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book. Any mistakes remain my sole responsibility.

This book has been written using minimal endnotes. I have avoided illustrations because relevant visual images are now widely available on the Internet and can be accessed via an online appendix, www.philipseaton.net/jcwm. html.