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- Japan's Contested War Memories

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Synopsis

This chapter highlights how some issues that need to be kept distinct - particularly memories vs. responsibility and public remembering vs. government policy - are often fudged in discussion of how Japan 'addresses the past'. The chapter demonstrates the extent of international complicity in Japanese struggles with war history and responsibility issues, and critiques the various international comparisons that have been made in the context of Japanese war memories, particularly with German memories and responsibility.

General Resources

The Japanese government's various websites contain numerous official documents in English. They are mainly at the following sites: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see especially the link to 'Historical Issues'), Ministry of Education, and the Prime Minister's Official Site. One of the most controversial aspects of official commemoration concerns worship by officials at Yasukuni Shrine (for unofficial groups, including some active on the Yasukuni issue, see chapter 9). A general site with links to remaining government agencies is japan-guide.com.