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Haozhen Xu, Columbia University, United StatesAbstract
Memory politics is a powerful tool in international relations for states to dismiss their responsibilities for violating international norms and highlight their victimhood and a newly constructed image without justified consequences. Instead of undergoing an intensive process of reconciliation and reparation like its World War II ally Germany, Japan’s approach to remembering its imperialist past contrasts in its narratives, education, and means. The Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum, a small cultural institution located on the former grounds of the Tachiarai Imperial Airbase in Kyushu, Japan, serves as a case study of how local museums construct narratives about the war using historical sites and evidence. Using analysis of theoretical frameworks set forth by Pierre Nora, Tony Bennett, Adam Lerner, and other scholars whose case studies concerns various types of memorial sites across cultures and states, this essay qualitatively breaks down the institutional, social, and mnemonic effects of the site, and seek to explain its power dynamics with local and national communities. This paper argues that the Memorial Museum fosters collective amnesia by selectively emphasizing Japan’s victimhood while omitting its imperialist actions during World War II. This approach complicates Japan’s ability to reconcile with its past, shapes contemporary identity and international relations, and reinforces a narrative of victimhood nationalism.
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Conference: ACCS2026Stream: Politics/ political Studies/ Political Sciences
This paper is part of the ACCS2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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