Japan Since 1800, Fall 2006

Prof. Constantine Vaporis

Senso. The Japanese Remember the Pacific War

World War II in Asia has been a subject of much controversy in postwar Japan--so much so that there is no agreed upon name for the conflict. The "China Incident," "the China War," the "Pacific War," the "Greater East Asian (Holy) War," and simply “the War" (senso) are some of the designations employed; they all imply different perspectives on Japan’s wartime experience and impart different meanings regarding it.

Senso is significant in its presentation of the thoughts and opinions of a wide spectrum of the Japanese population regarding the years 1931-45. Below are some questions to guide you as you work your way through this "patchwork quilt" of human experience:

Why did it take almost fifty years for Japanese to begin to come forward with their memories? (Why did the Japanese seem to have forgotten their World War II past for such a long time? Why have they started recently to remember?) How have they reacted to this outpouring of memory?

How do the Japanese (as represented in this book, at least) perceive the road to war? What were the causes--both foreign and domestic--of Japan's conflicts with China and the West? How were they justified or rationalized? How do former soldiers explain the atrocities committed in China and elsewhere? How do perceptions of the "China War" and the "Pacific War" (i.e. the war against the Allied Powers) compare?

What was life in the military and on the homefront like?

More generally, do you see any common threads running through the letters? How would you describe their tone? How might the passage of time, and Japan's postwar history, have colored people's memories?

Finally, in what ways, if any, did these personal accounts alter (or confirm) your pre-existing ideas about Japan and World War II?