Japan and Reconciliation in Post-war Asia: The Murayama Statement and Its Implications - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1137301228 ISBN 13: 9781137301222

Publisher: Palgrave Pivot, 2012

Synopsis

Japan and Reconciliation in Post-war Asia considers former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama's 1995 apology statement, the height of Japan's post-war apology, and examines its implications for memory, international relations, and reconciliation in Asia. Taking a comparative approach and situating discussion within broader debates about war, apology, and reconciliation, this volume bring together insider perspectives from Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan, shedding light on how Japan's post-war apology discourse developed, what it achieved, what its limitations are, and what its future implications will be.

About this title

Review:

'Hopelessness about Japan's reconciliation over history with its neighbors is best addressed not by wishful thinking but by refocusing on the Murayama Statement of 1995. This important apology was underappreciated by China and South Korea and also denounced by many Japanese conservatives. Yet, this carefully presented book shows that it is a genuine apology, which could serve as a building block for greater trust. Kazuhiko Togo combines diplomatic insight and scholarly analysis in his clear overview and balanced coverage of the view from Japan. The other authors follow a similar model in detailing the reception the Murayama Statement received. With the right range of topics, this book points to the statement's possible future implications. To realize them requires taking seriously the search for common ground, something unlikely to occur if the Murayama Statement continues to be dismissed. This book not only fills a gap in coverage of the critical decade for historical memory of the 1990s, but also serves as a wake-up call for those interested in understanding and altering the course of international relations in East Asia.' - Gilbert Rozman, Musgrave Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, USA

Book Description:

Taking a comparative approach, this volume considers former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama's 1995 apology statement, the height of Japan's post-war apology, and examines its implications

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1137301228
• ISBN 13: 9781137301222
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128
• Editor: Togo K.