'History wars' and reconciliation in Japan and Korea : the roles of historians, artists, and activists

This book provides a fresh approach to understanding the origins and possible future direction of the Northeast Asia "history wars." Leading scholars in history, literary studies, and education present the complex issue in a historical context by assessing its political and cultural dimensions, particularly with regards to relations between Japan and Korea. Their essays also touch on the significance of civil society efforts to advance peaceful reconciliation and the social and political forces that have worked to frustrate such efforts since 1945. At its core, this volume explores the political significance in the gap between Korean and Japanese civil society versus governmental efforts to resolve issues lingering from the Pacific War in Asia; the significance of cultural as well as political efforts to understanding historical and contemporary relations among Northeast Asian neighboring states; and specific factors--such as textbook reform, revised school curricula, and civil society education efforts-- that are working to ameliorate the heretofore deadlocked "history wars."-- Provided by publisher Preface: Retrospect and Prospect in Northeast Asia’s History Wars 5 Acknowledgments 9 Contents 11 List of Contributors 13 List of Figures 17 List of Tables 18 Chapter 1: Introduction: History Wars in Postwar East Asia, 1945–2014 19 Notes 32 Chapter 2: Remembering Colonial Korea in Postwar Japan 35 Introduction 35 Japanese Dissenters Prior to World War II 36 World War II and Memory During the Allied Occupation (1945–52) 38 From the 1950s to the 1970s: The Rise of Critical Korean Studies in Japan 39 From the 1980s to the Present 42 Conclusion 48 Notes 48 Chapter 3: The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Postcolonial Japan: State, Shrine, and Honor for Ethnic Veterans, the Fallen, and their Bereaved 51 Ethnic Korean and Taiwanese Exclusion from Veteran’s Benefits 53 Ethnic Korean and Taiwanese Inclusion in Yasukuni Enshrinement 57 Comments 60 Notes 64 Chapter 4: The “East Asian History” Elective in Korean High Schools: An Attempt at Reflective Education in Transnational Space 68 Introduction 69 Background and Current Status of East Asian History 70 Learning Method and Content Structure of East Asian History 74 Students’ Prior Knowledge of the Subject Matter 74 Content Organization Principles 75 Content Analysis Based on Organization Principles 77 Relativization Through Deconstructing Center and Periphery 77 Disclosing Problems of Imperiality and Pursuing Reconciliation 78 Recognition of Difference Beyond Discrimination and Prejudice 80 Focus on Exchange and Cooperation Rather than War and Conflict 81 Providing East Asian Perspective Beyond that of One National History 83 Current Efforts to Complement Self-Examination Through Diverse Story-Telling 90 East Asian History Outcomes and Remaining Issues 94 Conclusion 95 Notes 96 Chapter 5: Japanese Textbooks in the Asian History Wars: The Waning Importance of Weapons of Mass Instruction 99 Introduction 99 The Textbook Wars and Cooperative Transnational Efforts: The Case of The New East Asian Modern and Contemporary History 102 Converging Historical Interpretations 107 Divisions on the Right 111 Conclusion: Political Pragmatism and the Bearable Lightness of the Schoolbook Controversy 114 Notes 117 Chapter 6: The Controversy over the Ancient Korean State of Gaya: A Fresh Look at the Korea–Japan History War 123 The Craft of History Writing in Korea and Japan 125 Japanese Records on Gaya 127 State Formation of Gaya and Its Broad Cultural Frontier 131 Concluding Remarks 135 Notes 136 Chapter 7: Young Poets Under the Shadow of War: Yun Dong-ju and Tachihara Michizō 141 Social Oppression in Japan 142 Poems by Tachihara Michizō (1914–1939) 143 The Japanese Annexation of Korea 148 Poems by Yun Dong-ju (1917–1945) 149 Summation 153 Notes 156 Chapter 8: Oda Makoto and Literary Reconciliation: The Rise of Civil Societies in Japan and Korea in the Wake of the Asia-Pacific War 158 Introduction 158 Oda Makoto’s Literature of Korea 160 Toward a Treatise of Korea–Japan Relations 163 Korea as Trigger for Oda’s Political Activism in Japan 165 From Literature to Political Engagement 167 Toward a Literary Dialectic of Korea 169 Toward a Conclusion 171 Notes 173 Chapter 9: “Comfort Women Bashing” and Japan’s Social Formation of Hegemonic Masculinity 177 Timeline of Abe’s Involvement in the Comfort Women Issue 178 Growing “Comfort Women Bashing” Promoted by Abe and His Supporters 186 Japanese Social Formation Based on Hegemonic Masculinity 190 Conclusion 193 Notes 194 Selected References 197 Index 208 This book provides a fresh approach to understanding the origins and possible future direction of the Northeast Asia zhistory wars.y Leading scholars in history, literary studies, and education present the complex issue in a historical context by assessing its political and cultural dimensions, particularly with regards to relations between Japan and Korea. Their essays also touch on the significance of civil society efforts to advance peaceful reconciliation and the social and political forces that have worked to frustrate such efforts since 1945. At its core, this volume explores the political significance in the gap between Korean and Japanese civil society versus governmental efforts to resolve issues lingering from the Pacific War in Asia; the significance of cultural as well as political efforts to understanding historical and contemporary relations among Northeast Asian neighboring states; and specific factors--such as textbook reform, revised school curricula, and civil society education efforts-- that are working to ameliorate the heretofore deadlocked zhistory wars.y This book provides a fresh approach to understanding the origins and possible future direction of the Northeast Asia history wars. Leading scholars in history, literary studies, and education present the complex issue in a historical context by assessing its political and cultural dimensions, particularly with regards to relations between Japan and Korea. Their essays also touch on the significance of civil society efforts to advance peaceful reconciliation and the social and political forces that have worked to frustrate such efforts since 1945. At its core, this volume explores the political significance in the gap between Korean and Japanese civil society versus governmental efforts to resolve issues lingering from the Pacific War in Asia; the significance of cultural as well as political efforts to understanding historical and contemporary relations among Northeast Asian neighboring states; and specific factors such as textbook reform, revised school curricula, and civil society education efforts that are working to ameliorate the heretofore deadlocked history wars. " Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction: History Wars in Postwar East Asia, 1945–2014....Pages 1-16 Remembering Colonial Korea in Postwar Japan....Pages 17-32 The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Postcolonial Japan: State, Shrine, and Honor for Ethnic Veterans, the Fallen, and their Bereaved....Pages 33-49 The “East Asian History” Elective in Korean High Schools: An Attempt at Reflective Education in Transnational Space....Pages 51-81 Japanese Textbooks in the Asian History Wars: The Waning Importance of Weapons of Mass Instruction....Pages 83-106 The Controversy over the Ancient Korean State of Gaya: A Fresh Look at the Korea–Japan History War....Pages 107-124 Young Poets Under the Shadow of War: Yun Dong-ju and Tachihara Michizō....Pages 125-141 Oda Makoto and Literary Reconciliation: The Rise of Civil Societies in Japan and Korea in the Wake of the Asia-Pacific War....Pages 143-161 “Comfort Women Bashing” and Japan’s Social Formation of Hegemonic Masculinity....Pages 163-182 Back Matter....Pages 183-201