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- 日本語

  • Research Projects

- Japan's Contested War Memories

- War and Memory in Hokkaido

  • Translation

- Legacies of War Guilt in a Japanese Family

  • Japan Focus

- War History Reading List

- Contributions to Japan Focus

 Welcome to Philip Seaton's Homepage
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Click here to purchase Japan's Contested War Memories (paperback)

 jcwm1

Guide for students wanting to study under my supervision at Hokkaido University.

Welcome! My name is Philip Seaton. I am originally from London. I am an Associate Professor (jun-kyoju) in the Research Faculty of Media and Communication, Hokkaido University, Japan, and a Japan Focus Associate.

My research is mainly about about Japanese memories of World War II in Asia and the Pacific and their representations within Japanese-language media and popular culture. My first book, Japan's Contested War Memories: the 'memory rifts' in historical consciousness of World War II, is published by Routledge (2007, paperback 2009). This website includes an online appendix to complement the book.

I have also published articles on various aspects of Japanese war memories and my article 'Reporting the 2001 textbook and Yasukuni issues' won the Daiwa Japan Forum Prize 2006 from the British Association for Japanese Studies. I am currently working on a project called 'War and memory in Hokkaido' funded by a 3-year grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education.

Other current research interests include aspects of Japan's regional society (particularly in Hokkaido). I am part of the Shrinking Regions Project coordinated by Dr Peter Matanle at Sheffield University and Dr Tony Rausch at Hirosaki University. I was also editor for Japan Focus' coverage of the 2008 G8 Summit held at Lake Toya in Hokkaido.

Alongside research I consider translation to be an important part of my academic work. My translation of Kurahashi Ayako's Kempei datta chichi no nokoshita mono (English title: Legacies of War Guilt in a Japanese Family) will be published in 2009 by Paulownia Press.

This site is mainly a window into my academic work, but it also introduces my main hobby: classical music composition. I have relatively little time for composing these days given my fulltime duties as an academic, but in 2007-8 there were around twenty concert performances worldwide of my music. Sheet music and sound samples are available to download for those who are interested.