Publication

In light of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, this brief examines how the memory of the war has affected relations in Northeast Asian countries since 1945. Among other issues, the author discusses 1) the Chinese-Japanese and South-Korean-Japanese postwar reconciliation processes; 2) US efforts to recognize and apologize for particular US wartime actions against Japan during WWII; 3) divisions in Japan over the legacy of WWII and what it means for the country's defense policy and its relations with the US; and 4) new efforts underway to memorialize WWII across Northeast Asia and to call for addressing the grievances of those victims of war unacknowledged by the formal peace negotiations with Japan. The author concludes by stressing that in light of the strategic tensions in East Asia, the costs and the consequences of WWII cannot be understated.