'History Wars' and Reconciliation in Japan and Korea

Michael Lewis is Professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is a historian of modern Japan and its influence on modern East Asian societies and politics. He has written major studies of mass protests in Japan and popular movements for and against the prewar Japanese empire.

Preface: Retrospect and Prospect in Northeast Asia’s History Wars .- 1. Introduction: History Wars in Postwar East Asia, 1945-2014 .- 2. Remembering Colonial Korea in Postwar Japan .- 3. The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Postcolonial Japan: State, Shrine, and Honor for Ethnic Veterans, the Fallen, and their Bereaved .- 4. The “East Asian History” Elective in Korean High Schools: An Attempt at Reflective Education in Transnational Space .- 5. Japanese Textbooks in the Asian History Wars: The Waning Importance of Weapons of Mass Instruction .- 6. The Controversy over the Ancient Korean State of Gaya: A Fresh Look at Korea-Japan History War .- 7. Young Poets under the Shadow of War: Yun Dong-ju and Tachihara Michizō .- 8. Oda Makoto and Literary Reconciliation: The Rise of Civil Societies in Japan and Korea in the Wake of the Asia-Pacific War .- 9. “Comfort Women Bashing” and Japan’s Social Formation of Hegemonic Masculinity.>

“The excellent paper and printing quality of this book is a welcome sensation upon pickup. … the volume at hand is a rare and welcome chance to round out knowledge about the ‘history wars.’ … this book is a welcome addition to prior scholarship on the topic … this book will surely remain a valuable read for years to come.” (Juljan Biontino, Contemporary Japan, Vol. 30 (1), January, 2018)