Abstract
For over half a century following World War II, the rigidity of Cold War politics provided a barrier that insulated the Japanese from collective memory of the war's many victims throughout Asia. Japan's aggression was readily forgotten during the long "post-war" period lasting up to the 1990s. But in 1989, Emperor Hirohito died, the Berlin Wall fell, and the Cold War ended. With the breakdown of the Cold War geopolitical system, Asian authoritarian regimes began to democratize, and investigations began into cases of individual victims of Japan's long-ago war. In this new mass media age, TV programs questioning Japan's belligerence and aggression have become increasingly prevalent and begun to reshape Japan's collective memory. This research project will use TV and film footage to demonstrate that the 1990s was a decade that saw vigorous debate over the South Korean movement seeking compensation from Japan with a particular focus on B-class and C-class war criminals. It will archive and catalogue TV and film footage from this decade to reassess the movement's history in South Korea and Japan as activists sought compensation for atrocities committed in World War II.
