Project Director

Wheeler, Norton, 1948-

Department Examiner

Taylor, Kathryn; Johnson, Mark Allen

Department

Dept. of History

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Public memory often fails to encompass varied perspectives on past events, representing exclusively the collective understanding of one group or nation. Most nations shape history through personalized narratives, which remember their own motivations in conflicts, neglect their harms done against others, or memorialize past harms and traumas for reasons such as collective identity, nationalism, or guilt. However, while public memory is similarly controlled from nation to nation, various scholarship has illuminated changes within Japanese World War II education, and many scholars have discussed its potential impact to Japanese World War II public memory. To fully analyze Japanese public memory and the influence of these changes, this thesis compiled interviews from Japanese college students concerning their public memory of World War II. Through these interviews, this paper examined current Japanese public memory of World War II and its influencing factors, specifically Japanese education, museums and memorials, and popular culture. This thesis identifies three distinct historical narratives of justification, victimization, and pacifism throughout present-day Japanese public memory and argues nationalists utilize these historical narratives to shape public memory and unify Japanese national identity.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the many individuals who helped me throughout this thesis, specifically: Dr. Fang Yu Hu, for helping me narrow my research interests and begin my thesis process; Issei Miura, for helping me translate my interview consent form and official interview questions; Dr. Norton Wheeler, for directing my thesis, helping me locate difficult sources, and providing me with various feedback; Dr. Kathryn Taylor, for offering numerous revisions and feedback on my rough drafts; Dr. Mark A. Johnson, for challenging me to expand my conclusions and providing me with various feedback on my drafts; and Melissa Laseter, for offering me endless support. Thank you all for your assistance and guidance throughout this process.

IRB Number

24-060

Degree

B. A.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Date

5-2025

Subject

Nationalism and collective memory--Japan; World War, 1939-1945--Japan--Influence; World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Japan

Keyword

history; public memory; world war II; japanese history

Discipline

Public History

Document Type

Theses

Extent

iii, 71 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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