Escaping War Crime Reflections of WWII: Japan’s Postwar Narratives through the Lens of Imperial Preservation, Remnants of Militarism, and Education
Main Article Content
Keywords
Japan, East Asia, postwar narrative, WWII, militarism
Abstract
This article presents systematic research regarding the factors that led to Japan’s evasion of war crime after WWII. There are three major factors behind such evasion: the preservation of the imperial system, which provided legitimacy and a symbolic foundation for right-wing forces; the revival of militarist ideology and elites under the conditions of the Cold War; and the education system of Japan, which shaped the country’s “victim identity”. The combination has portrayed Japan’s victimhood while hindering its aggression and war crime responsibility. By analyzing these factors through historiographical review and the professional concepts of memory studies, this research article demonstrates how Japan’s selective remembrance became institutionalized in Japanese society and politics.
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