Presentation Information
[SY-59-01]Bias toward “Narratives of Sacrifice” in Japanese “August Journalism” and Collective Memory of War in Postwar Japan
*Ritsu Yonekura (Nihon University Department of Law(Japan))
Keywords:
August Journalism,Collective Memory,responsibility for the war
In Japan, it has become customary for television and newspapers to concentrate on war-related topics every August, a practice known as "August journalism. The results of several surveys indicate “August journalism” is deeply related to the formation of Japanese people's views and images of war. After a long time has passed since the war, people are now learning more and more about the war indirectly through the media, and August journalism is playing an increasingly important role.
August journalism has focused on themes related to the “damage” and “sacrifice” of the Japanese people in the war, such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, air raids in Tokyo and other cities. On the other hand, “August Journalism” has only slightly focused on themes related to “harm” such as Japan's invasion of Asia, colonial rule, forced labor, and comfort women. This tendency of “August journalism” to emphasize the ‘damage’ and to put the “harm” in the background has caused a serious bias in the Japanese people's view of war and their perception of history.
Understanding themselves as “victims” of the war, the Japanese have avoided clarifying why and who started the war or thinking deeply about the responsibility for the war. This has often been the cause of sharp tensions between Japan and China, Korea, and other Asian countries during the long postwar period. I would like to reconsider the merits and demerits of “August journalism,” taking into account the content of the “August Journalism” in 2025, the major milestone year of the "80-year postwar period.
August journalism has focused on themes related to the “damage” and “sacrifice” of the Japanese people in the war, such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, air raids in Tokyo and other cities. On the other hand, “August Journalism” has only slightly focused on themes related to “harm” such as Japan's invasion of Asia, colonial rule, forced labor, and comfort women. This tendency of “August journalism” to emphasize the ‘damage’ and to put the “harm” in the background has caused a serious bias in the Japanese people's view of war and their perception of history.
Understanding themselves as “victims” of the war, the Japanese have avoided clarifying why and who started the war or thinking deeply about the responsibility for the war. This has often been the cause of sharp tensions between Japan and China, Korea, and other Asian countries during the long postwar period. I would like to reconsider the merits and demerits of “August journalism,” taking into account the content of the “August Journalism” in 2025, the major milestone year of the "80-year postwar period.