Introduction: History Wars in Postwar East Asia, 1945–2014

Abstract

Since the end of World War II the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans have embraced different narratives about the war, its origins and its consequences. But it was not until the 1980s that “history wars” over those differing narratives became a central diplomatic issue that has led to the erosion of trust. Not only had the generation with direct memories of the war begun to fade away but neo-nationalist tendencies in all three countries emerged as their economies flourished and competed with one another. The political consequence was an intensification of mutual recrimination over distorted narratives and historical “revisionism.” While some gestures toward reconciliation have been made, unless there is a deep political will to sustain them, the “history wars” are likely to continue in the foreseeable future.