The Yasukuni Shrine Controversy from the Perspective of Southeast Asia: A Hidden Dispute

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  • Hayase Shinzo
    Professor, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific (GSAPS), Waseda University

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<p>Historical challenges between Japan and China, and between Japan and South Korea have been caused by a confluence of factors. Broadly speaking, these include the management of historical education in Japan as well as Japanese politicians’ historical recognition of their country’s imperialism and of the Asia-Pacific War. More specific problems can be identified: the description of the Asia-Pacific War in Japanese history textbooks, the Japanese prime ministers’ visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and the comfort women controversy. Worthy of note, it was not only in China and South Korea that the Japanese military inflicted oppressions and cruelty during the “Greater East Asia War” but also in Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Islands (former Nan’yo Gunto or South Pacific Mandate). It is understandable that the peoples in these regions support anti-Japanese movements observed in China and in South Korea. Surprisingly, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website reports that people from Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Islands view Japan favorably, stating that these countries perceive their wartime sufferings differently from China and South Korea. This paper explores why reactions that emerged in China and South Korea differ from those in Southeast Asian countries.</p><p>Small countries avoid direct confrontation with great powers. Like fisherfolk in troubled waters, they play at the conflict among the larger countries, dancing to it so as to avoid falling into the mercy of any one of these competing powers. Nevertheless, latent frustrations sometimes surface. Southeast Asian countries criticize not only Japan, but also China, South Korea, the US, and countries in Western Europe for failing to respect them. Small countries might have hidden disputes against larger ones. In order to address these issues or to mitigate their escalation, it is imperative for powerful countries to pay close attention to covert yet significant disputes with less powerful states.</p>

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  • アジア太平洋討究

    アジア太平洋討究 36 (0), 109-129, 2019-03-25

    早稲田大学アジア太平洋研究センター

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