The Burden of the Past: Problems of Historical Perception in Japan-Korea Relations

by Kan Kimura

Overview

The Burden of the Past reexamines the dispute over historical perception between Japan and South Korea, going beyond the descriptive emphasis of previous studies to clearly identify the many independent variables that have affected the situation. From the history textbook debates, to the Occupation-period exploitation of “comfort women,” to the Dokdo/Takeshima territory dispute and Yasukuni Shrine visits, Professor Kimura traces the rise and fall of popular, political, and international concerns underlying these complex and highly fraught issues.
 
Utilizing Japanese and South Korean newspaper databases to review discussion of the two countries’ disputed historical perceptions from the end of World War II to the present, The Burden of the Past provides readers with the historical framework and the major players involved, offering much-needed clarity on such polarizing issues. By seeing behind the public discourse and political rhetoric, this book offers a firmer footing for a discussion and the steps toward resolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472125036
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Kan Kimura is Professor at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies at Kobe University, and has previously been a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the Sejong Institute, and the University of Washington. He has published more than seventeen books and numerous articles and is an expert on the relationship between Korea and Japan.

Table of Contents

Contents Foreword Preface to the English Edition Introduction: The Complexities of the Dispute over Historical Perception PART I: THEORETICAL EXAMINATION 1. The Origins and Development of the Dispute 2. Historical Perception as a Standard of Value 3. History and Historical Perceptions 1. Generational Change 2. Changing International Relations 3. Economic Policies and the End of the Cold War PART II: CASE STUDY 1: HISTORICAL DISPUTES IN THE 1980S 1. The Root of the Issue 2. South Korean and Chinese Responses 3. New Political Fluidity in Japan and South Korea 1. The Closing Days of the Cold War 2. Changing Japan-South Korea Relations 3. The Second Textbook Dispute in 1987 4. Emergence of the Nationalistic New Version of Japanese History PART III: HISTORICAL PERCEPTION DISPUTE: CASE STUDY 2: THE COMFORT WOMEN ISSUE 1. From the Textbook Controversy to the Comfort Women Dispute 2. The First Katō Statement 3. The Miyazawa Visit 4. Insincere Apologies? 5. The Response of the Japanese Government 6. The Second Katō Statement 7. The Kōno Statement 8. From the Murayama Statement to the Asian Women's Fund 1. Changing Japanese Society 2. An Era of Populist Nationalism 3. The Historical Perception Dispute in an Era of Populist Nationalism 4. Deteriorating Bilateral Relations 1. Generational Change, Mutual Loss of Importance, Collapse of Cooperation between Ruling Elites 2. The Slow Collapse of the Cold War Regime Afterword Chronology of the Japan-South Korea Historical Perceptions Issue Notes Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"The strength of Kimura’s book lies in his analysis of the broad context of political and social circumstances that explain why controversies over certain historical issues escalate at specific points in time... The Burden of the Past could be used for teaching anthropology/history/sociology to undergraduates and/or postgraduates..." - Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute

Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute