ASSIGNMENT 4: WORLD WAR II AND MEMORY -- JAPAN AS A CASE STUDY

The discussion forum this week revisits the 1995 firestorm that erupted over a Smithsonian exhibit that examined the Hiroshima bombing. That same year, Japan had its own public museum controversy involving conflicting memories of World War II.

The federal government had hoped to build a $150 million museum to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war. The proposed project, however, provoked intense debate. According to some liberals and professional historians, the favoured story-line seemed to justify Japanese entry into the war by suggesting that American economic sanctions and unreasonable diplomatic demands left Japan with few alternatives but to wage war. Many also saw it as inappropriate that the museum was to be located next to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto temple to the Japanese war dead of the 1868-1945 era, including World War II political and military leaders.

To critics on the right, though, it was the liberals who were threatening to hijack the process and transform respectful tribute into self-flagellation. "The project became controversial when they tried to use the museum to depict Japanese war atrocities," charged Seisuke Okuno, head of a group opposing any official apology for Japanese actions in World War II. "But it was originally meant to be just a memorial hall for the war dead."

In an effort to still the controversy, the government abandoned plans to include a segment on the Nanjing Massacre. But the divides were too deep for consensus to be reached. As in the case of the "Enola Gay" and the Air and Space Museum, the end result was a dramatically-scaled-back exhibit in which any discussion of broader historical context was avoided.

The story of the Japanese museum project, while not in itself of major historical significance, is introduced here as an illustrative anecdote meant to show how volatile World War II memories remain for both the Japanese and their neighbours. An analysis of the competing interpretations of the meaning of that history rests at the heart of Assignment #4.

Listed below is a series of topics connected with the history of Japan during World War II. Clicking on individual terms will link you to recent news articles. Many of the subjects -- such as the legacies of the Unit 731 biological warfare research project, the use of sex slaves in occupied territories, the visits of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, and curricular debates about what to include in the national school -- can stir intense controversy six decades after the end of the war.

Pick three topics. Read at least four news articles for each. Write three separate short (one-to-two pages double-spaced) responses that combine summary and analysis. Describe the particular issue. How and why has it been in the news? To what extent, if any, is it associated with contemporary conflict? What commentary might you offer on any debates? Can you place the topic within an historical context or use it to explore the broad theme of how the past is remembered? After you have completed your three mini-essays, add a concluding paragraph that assesses what you learned about the collective memories of Japan's World War II experiences through this exercise.

Article Nine	Biological Warfare	Chinese-Japanese Relations	Comfort Women
Emperor Hirohito		Japanese Soldiers In The Jungle	Japanese Textbook Controversies
Kamikaze Pilots	P.O.W.S	Prime Minister Koizumi	Rape Of Nanjing
Slave Labour	South Korean-Japanesee Relations	World War II And The Japanese Courts	Yasukuni Shrine
Tokyo War Crimes Trials	60th Anniversary Of The End Of The War		MISCELLANEOUS

Listed below are a few useful news sources to check for other articles. Do not hesitate to find your own news articles using the Search Boxes at these sites.