Description
Following the end of World War II, Japan’s war criminals were put on trial for crimes against peace and war crimes. The Tokyo Tribunal was meant to hold leaders responsible individually and allow the country to move forward. However, Japan was unable to successfully address their collective responsibility for war crimes, due to legal and political failures of the tribunal. Japan’s memory of the war became polarised and led to a rise in nationalism and revisionism. This in turn prevented reconciliation with its own past and with China and South Korea. With the failure of political leaders to successfully engage in reconciliation, a non-governmental approach would be beneficial to depolarise the memory and acknowledge of the dark past. A depolarisation of memory through education and awareness of the past could reduce the public’s apathy towards the issue of war crimes responsibility and encourage reconciliation efforts.
