Transitional Justice Measures in Japan after World War II: The Impact and Japanese War Memory

Abstract

When it comes to the topic of Japan’s transitional justice, many people tend to consider Japan in comparison with Germany because of the similarity in history of both countries. For example, both countries engaged in World War II on the same side, and both countries experienced complete defeats. However, the ways in which Japan and Germany reestablished their relations with the neighboring countries after the war were significantly different. While Germany was successful in rebuilding trust among western countries, Japan still faces problems with their former victimized countries. Japan does not accept and keeps denying their accountability for the atrocities committed during the war. This difference raises the questions of how Japanese developed their attitude in this way. This question also helps understanding how Japan reconciles with their neighbors and explains why some reconciliations were unsuccessful.

This article submits that deficiency and inconsistence of transitional justice measures taken by the victors played an important role in shaping victim consciousness among Japanese people rather than perpetrator consciousness. Also, the casualty made by both the enemies and their own leaders emphasizes sense of victim among the people and blurs perpetrator consciousness. It was this victim consciousness that made Japan hesitate to accept the past and want to deny the accountability for the atrocities committed during the war.