Reading and Over-reading (Even So, the Japanese Chose 'War')
Reading and Over-reading 2025-20
-Summer Vacation Required Reading-
1. "Even So, the Japanese Chose 'War'"
By Yoko Kato (Asahi Shuppan, July 2009)
2. "Until War / Negotiations That Decided History and Japan's Failures"
By Yoko Kato (Asahi Shuppan, August 2016)
3. "The Backflow of History - Deciphering the Watershed of the Era -"
Co-authored by Yasuo Hasebe, Atsushi Sugita, and Yoko Kato
(Asahi Shimbun Publications, December 2022)
Since this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, numerous documentaries and dramas related to the war have been broadcast through newspapers, radio, and television.
I watched many masterpieces and controversial works, but the one that left the deepest personal impression was "Century of Images: High-Definition Special - Europe: 2077 Days of Hell" (45 minutes each), which aired over three weeks starting July 21st.
Rather than the Japanese war itself, it focused on the war in Europe, using cutting-edge AI technology to colorize contemporary footage and photographs (monochrome), while meticulously checking the refined images to read the expressions and movements of people in the corners of the frame and uncover their true meaning.
By enlarging a corner of footage showing an elderly Hitler encouraging boy soldiers, it reveals the fact that this dictator was already suffering from Parkinson's disease, as evidenced by his trembling left hand, yet still held the fate of the German people in his hands.
But what moved me most was the subtitle of the first episode: "The German People Became Accomplices."
From the invasion of Poland in September '39, they forced Finland, Denmark, and Norway to surrender in quick succession, and it took only nine months until the fall of Paris, France, in June '40. Amidst consecutive victories, the German people enjoyed a more affluent life thanks to the spoils of war, strengthening their support for Nazi Germany. This is what is meant by the expression "the German people became accomplices."
That is quite a powerful expression.
I think that is because most of the war experiences of the people or citizens spoken of in our country are those of victims.
Of course, there is no doubt that we suffered immense agony, including indiscriminate air raids that were not limited to military facilities and included non-combatants, which can only be called violations of international law today.
However, it is also a fact that, at least in the early stages of the Pacific War, and including the Second Sino-Japanese War, not only the military but also the public supported the war and its expansion.
The war dragged on (and the damage became immense) through political decisions at each stage.
Regardless of the pros and cons of using the strong term "accomplice," why did the country head down the path to war despite having the form of a constitutional state?
With that in mind, my summer vacation reading consists of books by Yoko Kato, a modern history researcher and professor at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters.
Book 1 proceeds in the format of a class, including questions and answers with junior high and high school students at Eiko Gakuen.
It examines the modern wars experienced by Japan (Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, WWI, Manchurian Incident, Second Sino-Japanese War, Pacific War), looking at how the leaders of the time made decisions and walked the path to war amidst the swirling interests of Western powers like Britain, America, France, Germany, and Russia.
The content is simplified mainly for high school students and includes pop illustrations and maps, making it very easy to understand.
Book 2 focuses on the period when the shape of the country changed following the 2015 security legislation changes, narrowing the scope to three points: the response to the Lytton Report, the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact, and the Japan-US negotiations just before the Pacific War, providing a more detailed examination.
It is also in the format of a class for junior high and high school students, and it seems the same person was in charge of the illustrations and layout, making it very easy to read.
Book 3 discusses Japan's past and future from the perspectives of Yasuo Hasebe (Constitutional Law), Atsushi Sugita (Political Science), and Yoko Kato (History), based on the fact that the international situation entered a new phase due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 (which is still ongoing).
In Chapter 3, "Thinking About War and Aggression," and Chapter 4, "The State's View of History and the Constitution," Kato's comments shine.
Especially her evaluation of Putin's claim that he invaded Ukraine because "if Ukraine joins NATO, Russia's security will be threatened."
The part that says, "A nation that makes taking other countries' land a path to ensuring its own security will inevitably begin a path to destruction. That is a lesson that has not changed since the Peloponnesian War 2,400 years ago," is impressive.
In her mind, beyond Putin, she was likely looking at the landscape of the 1930s, her area of expertise—the claims of Japan (the military, especially the Army, which had Kanji Ishiwara as its theoretical pillar) that invaded Manchuria.