Reframing the Past : Historical Revisionism, Silencing, and Victimhood Nationalism in Kobayashi Yoshinori’s Sensō-Ron
Koski, Benjamin (2025)
2025
Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-02-26
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202502252433
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202502252433
Tiivistelmä
This thesis examines the right-wing collective memory of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese military during that period. Theoretically, it locates itself in the realm of memory studies in peace and conflict research by examining how selective memorialization is used to promote nationalistic identity. In so doing, this research aims to contribute to peace and conflict studies by exploring the interconnectedness of wartime memory, silencing, and victimhood nationalism in modern Japanese society through multimodal mediums.
Combining critical linguistics and critical visual discourse analysis, I analyzed the manga “Neo-Gōmanism Manifesto Special – On War (jap. 新・ゴーマニズム宣言SPECIAL 戦争論, published in 1998) by right-wing author Kobayashi Yoshinori through the theoretical framework. More concretely, the study focuses on the case studies of the comfort women system and the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Nanjing Massacre. Thus, the research is designed to answer the research questions: How does Sensō-Ron employ silencing strategies to construct an alternative narrative of Japan’s colonial responsibility and shape collective memory? How does the memorialization of Japan’s colonial history in Sensō-Ron impact the formation of a nationalistic Japanese identity based on the dichotomy of Us/ Them and the image of Japan as the victim of the war rather than the perpetrator?
The analysis shows that the Sensō-Ron actively takes part in the silencing of memories related to comfort women and the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Simultaneously, it promotes narratives of Japanese victimhood, including the perceived injustices during the Tokyo Trial, while emphasizing the positive aspects of Japan's colonial history, even regarding those traditionally viewed as victims of Japanese imperialism. In so doing, the Sensō-Ron support the construction of a narrative and a national identity rooted in victimhood and the glorification of the wartime past.
Combining critical linguistics and critical visual discourse analysis, I analyzed the manga “Neo-Gōmanism Manifesto Special – On War (jap. 新・ゴーマニズム宣言SPECIAL 戦争論, published in 1998) by right-wing author Kobayashi Yoshinori through the theoretical framework. More concretely, the study focuses on the case studies of the comfort women system and the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Nanjing Massacre. Thus, the research is designed to answer the research questions: How does Sensō-Ron employ silencing strategies to construct an alternative narrative of Japan’s colonial responsibility and shape collective memory? How does the memorialization of Japan’s colonial history in Sensō-Ron impact the formation of a nationalistic Japanese identity based on the dichotomy of Us/ Them and the image of Japan as the victim of the war rather than the perpetrator?
The analysis shows that the Sensō-Ron actively takes part in the silencing of memories related to comfort women and the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Simultaneously, it promotes narratives of Japanese victimhood, including the perceived injustices during the Tokyo Trial, while emphasizing the positive aspects of Japan's colonial history, even regarding those traditionally viewed as victims of Japanese imperialism. In so doing, the Sensō-Ron support the construction of a narrative and a national identity rooted in victimhood and the glorification of the wartime past.