Abstract

The dispute over history shows about there are serious doubts about Japan's position both in and out of Japan and such doubts work as a critical obstacle in defining Japan's international role. In this study, I have examined how postwar Japan's view of the past was shaped and how it influenced Japan's relations with Asian nations as a way of explaining the present dispute and its international ramifications. In particular, I have shown the basic structure of postwar Japan's view of the past as it was shaped during the two decades after the defeat. Also, despite the apparent successes in normalizing relations with Asian nations, Japan has failed to fully resolve the issue of the past and its view of the past played a big part in the process.