6. “History Issues” in the Postwar Period (1952–1989)

This chapter analyzes Japan’s narrative over the course of the Cold War. The first phase of Japan’s narrative was characterized by silencing, mythmaking, and relativizing and lasted from the return of Japan’s sovereignty in 1952 until the beginning of negotiations to normalize relations with China in 1971. The second phase began in 1971 and extended through 1982. Alongside a continued focus on Japanese victimhood, the official narrative shifted to include general acknowledgment, along with vague expressions of regret. The third phase began in 1982 and ended with Emperor Hirohito’s death in early 1989. Overall, the official narrative more explicitly identified the Nanjing Massacre and Japan’s aggression, although the general tenor of acknowledgment remained vague. Broadly speaking, these changes arose from the normalization of relations between Japan and China, pressures from China and other victim states, and domestic contestation of “history issues” and war responsibility.