Dark Heritage in Contemporary Japan

Introduction

This book examines civic activism to conserve dark heritage built by the colonial and wartime labor regime in contemporary Japan.

Local Organizations and Activities

Introducing and analyzing local organizations and their activities in multiple locations throughout Japan, this book looks at the ways in which the Japanese have remembered, negotiated, and re-experienced their wartime past.

Disciplinary Insights

Drawing insights from disciplines including critical heritage studies, social movements, the history of colonialism, imperialism, and decolonization, the book brings into focus the Japanese civic activism which confronts the legacies of the wartime labor regime operated throughout the colonial empire.

Grassroots Movements

By tracing the formation of grassroots movements to conserve war-related sites throughout Japan, it argues that reclaiming places for plural war memories bequeathed by colonial empire has been pivotal in creating public spaces for civic activism attentive to identities and differences in contemporary Japan.

Connections and Significance

Delving into the multilayered connections between the memories of imperial wars, colonial empire, and place-based politics in postwar Japan, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of colonialism, heritage studies and Japanese history.