ipl-logo

Seaton Japan War Memory Analysis

1385 Words6 Pages

Seaton's Japan War Memory
Introduction
The stories of World War II remain more alive and widely argued about in Japan than any other of the nations that was a major combatant in the war. Seaton focused on the time between 1972 and 2005 when Japan held the 60th anniversary commemorations. He outlined that Western media generally addressed this issue in an “orthodox” manner as they criticize Japan and the Japanese for “addressing the past inadequately.” He claims that “ignorance,” “denial,” and “amnesia” were widely referenced. But the views of the Japanese people were mainly based on family and personal experiences other than what was said by the media, politicians, or textbooks (Seaton 2). The orthodoxy is viewed as not being an investigation …show more content…

These aspects of war history can be categorized into three main types. The first type are the main battlegrounds for the ideological poles (such as Nanking or the “comfort women,” acknowledged or emphatically denied as severe war crimes by progressives and nationalists respectively). Secondly, there are stories that are treated largely across the field (the sufferings of soldiers, the A-bombs, and Siberian internment). Lastly, the third types are stories favored by a specific ideological camp (for instance, kamikaze stories have little to offer a progressive view of history but are rich in themes of sacrifice and patriotism for conservatives, while Unit 731’s human experiments confirm the depravity of militarism for progressives but are avoided by nationalists because they do nothing for affirmative versions of the war).
To begin with, Japanese textbooks are alleged to be one of the key ideological battlegrounds in Japanese war debates and have laid massive amounts of media responsiveness and scholarly research. These writings (and specifically coverage in the international media) have tended to focus their attention on textbook …show more content…

The levels of war interest and topics treated in opinion magazines illustrate which aspects of war history are featured most prominently within each ideology. Progressives’ publications tend to focus on Japanese atrocities and war responsibility issues while Japanese victimhood is related back to Japanese war responsibility. On the other hand, publications by Conservatives and Nationalists direct their effort more toward heroic actions by the Japanese military and treat Japanese suffering more as the result of Allied crimes

Show More
Related
994 Words | 4 Pages

Takaki’s book shows the differences and similarities minority groups experienced during the war. This is not a typical history book, as it is a book that contains different stories and experiences of the war both abroad

Read More
1394 Words | 6 Pages

Walker does not just take the reader on a tour of the decision-making process of President Truman and shows what made him to order the use of Atomic bombs on Japan, but he also provide an exploration of the historical situation that prompted the decision. He also examines the viewpoint of the Japanese, not only regarding the impact of the bombings on their ultimate decision to surrender, but also how their Allies called for an unconditional surrender. This call could possibly have led to the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, being tried on counts of war crimes, which may have possibly made the Japanese to be reluctant on surrendering even in light of a crushing defeat (Huczko). Samuel Walker also provides useful insights into contribution made by the decision to use Atomic weapons on Japanese decision to surrender.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

World War II left the world with the worst horrors in history. These horrors include the Holocaust, in which millions of innocent Jews and civilians were used for labor and killed, and the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In addition, the more unknown horror of World War II is the way the POWs of the Japanese were treated during war, which violated war laws. POWs, prisoners of war, of the Japanese were starved, forced into labor for the military, tortured, humiliated, received little to no medical treatment and worst of all killed; Louie S. Zamperini experienced this horror. Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction novel Unbroken tells the story of Louie Zamperini’s life before, during, and after the war.

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

These men, both daring and courageous, risked their lives on the beaches of Japan for the idea of freedom for all. One of the main themes throughout the book is the idea of media and its influence around the world, but in this case, especially in World War II.

Read More
569 Words | 3 Pages

When learning about and analyzing acts of mass atrocity during World War II, hundreds if not thousands of questions can be asked trying to gain a deeper understanding for their actions. Probably one of the most intriguing thoughts to ponder is what leads individuals and societies as a whole to descend to such a level of cruelty. According to the author of Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand, one reason may be, “Few societies treasured dignity, and feared humiliation, as did the Japanese, for whom a loss of honor could merit suicide. This is likely one of the reasons why Japanese soldiers in World War II debased their prisoners with such zeal, seeking to take from them that which was most painful and destructive to lose” (189). To elaborate, the Japanese

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

In 1939, the U.S. entered WWII to fight against Japan for the freedom of other countries such as the Philippines, Guam, and Thailand. As a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government decided Japanese and Japanese-Americans could not be trusted and imprisoned them in internment camps from 1942 to 1944. The three articles, “Camp Harmony”, by Monica Sone,“Japanese Internment Camps”, “The War Relocation Work Corps Pamphlet”, by M.S. Eisenhower, focus on this topic, but with different purposes for writing about it. The author of ‘Camp Harmony’’s purpose is to spread awareness of how unjust and unfair the Internment Camps were. The author of ‘The War Relocation Work Corps Pamphlet’’s purpose is to persuade while the author of ‘Japanese

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

Reflections: This article really helps to explain what exactly happened during the Japanese Interment. It clearly explains what happened, the government’s thought process, and the living conditions of the internment camps. It also clearly explains that not all of the government was for the internment of Japenese-Americans. Ina, Satsuka.

Read More
640 Words | 3 Pages

As Japan and America’s conflict grew, it affected a lot of people like never before. Miné Okubo was an American citizen but she had pure Japanese blood. Because of America’s thoughts about Japanese-American siding with Japan, the citizens were put into internment camps which also changed their lives. Japanese guards made the POWs in Japan feel invisible and less of a

Read More
1425 Words | 6 Pages

Part III, The War in Japanese Eyes, allows the reader to receive a Japanese perspective and also grasp how devastating the results of war were. Chapter 8, “The Pure Self,” Dower explains the Japanese traditions and culture, along with the humiliation and discrimination the Japanese received. The Japanese believed their culture was unique, and spent this period of time during the war focusing on themselves and their race. Whereas yellow was the color of illness and treason and the Japanese were usually referred to as yellow, the color white symbolized purity which stood for the American race. On the contrary, the Americans were also known as demonic.

Read More
1010 Words | 5 Pages

Family #19788 The memoir Looking like the Enemy, was written by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald. Set during World War II after the attack upon Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Americans living in Western part of America had a since of betrayal and fear having to evacuate their homes and enter into internment camps.

Read More
1106 Words | 5 Pages

This is an event many Americans felt was necessary to end the war with a country that would fight till death to bring honor. However, many Japanese people felt this was a needless war crime that resulted in deaths of innocent civilians. It is much easier for Americans to relay this event as a factual occurrence, but to those still feeling and have felt the

Read More
992 Words | 4 Pages

In what ways did the Great Depression affect the American people? After a decade of economic prosperity, what seemed like an era that defined the concept of the American dream, quickly came to an end when the stock market on Wall Street collapsed in 1929. The aftermath of the events that occurred on Wall Street would put its heavy mark on the years to follow among the citizens of the United States. Banks closed down, unemployment rose and homelessness increased. It was a widespread national catastrophe that had its impacts on both poor and rich.

Read More
750 Words | 3 Pages

We do not forgive easily. After World War II, our fear and resentment of Japan was strong in our hearts, as approximately 106,207 Americans were murdered and 248,316 Americans were wounded or declared missing by the hands of the Japanese. Even after the dust settled between our people, America never forgave Japan for their stubborn refusal to surrender and needless desire to drag on the war in hopes of negotiable bargains that would profit the cities of Japan. With Japanese American citizens in the heart of our country, President Roosevelt, clouded with war hysteria and racial discrimination against those with Japanese ancestry, he ordered Executive Order 9066 which resulted in the internment of Japanese American citizens. Many Americans felt that this order would protect America from Japanese espionage and attacks on our nation, but the Executive Order 9066 ushered an unjust wave of misinformation and insinuations to develop in

Read More
1523 Words | 7 Pages

Thesis statement: Though many speculate that the act of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) while not doing so on Europe (Germany and Italy) was racially motivated, racism played little to no role in these bombings. The United States of America and her allies were willing to end World War II at any cost, had the atomic bombs been available they would have been deployed in Europe. In the 1940’s there is no doubt that the United States of America was engulfed by mass anti-Japanese hysteria which inevitably bled over into America’s foreign policy. During this period Japanese people living in both Japan and the United States of America were seen as less that human.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

The “Bataan Death March” is the first hand account of the treatment of American prisoners of war by the Japanese in 1942. This account is brutal in various ways, in the use of imagery, use of language and view expressed. However, all of this allows for historians to better examine the feelings and ideas of soldiers on both sides of the conflict in the pacific theater. William E. Dyess is the author of this account. Who was he, and what exactly can we learn from him?

Read More

More about Seaton Japan War Memory Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document