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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Japanese youth activists find history whitewashed at Yasukuni museum

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Young Japanese and Korean activists visited Tokyo's Yushukan museum, finding exhibits that downplay Japan's wartime atrocities and colonial rule.
  • The museum's displays omit mentions of Japanese colonial rule over Korea and Taiwan and offer justifications for events like the Nanjing Massacre.
  • Critics argue the museum functions as a theme park, presenting a fabricated history favorable to Japan, while Japanese politicians continue to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

Young activists are challenging the historical narrative presented at Tokyo's Yushukan war history museum, finding its exhibits to be a one-sided portrayal of Japan's past. A visit by Japanese youth activist Hanako Chiba and Korean activists revealed displays that, according to Chiba, "only present information favorable to Japan" rather than historical facts.

I was shocked to see an exhibit saying that Japan helped Asian countries gain their independence.

— Hanako ChibaA Japanese youth activist describing her reaction to the Yushukan museum's exhibits.

Chiba expressed shock at exhibits claiming Japan aided Asian countries' independence, noting the absence of any mention of Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula or Taiwan. A map within the museum even fails to label Korea as an independent country post-World War II, distinguishing it from nations like Vietnam and the Philippines. This omission stems from a contentious argument that Korea's liberation in 1945 differed from the independence of countries colonized by Western powers due to Japan's "legal" annexation in 1910.

The museum's narrative extends to justifying wartime atrocities, such as the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, where it claims Japanese forces were merely "mopping up enemy remnants" hidden among civilians. Items like Zero model planes, used for suicide attacks, and Kaiten crewed torpedoes are displayed, alongside merchandise like baby dolls in military uniforms and tank-shaped keyrings. Rei Tashiro, another youth activist, described the museum's immersive approach, suggesting it aims to make visitors feel part of a "fabricated story."

I couldn’t find any mention of Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula or Taiwan. This was my second visit to the Yushukan, and I realized that instead of presenting the historical facts, it only presents information favorable to Japan.

— Hanako ChibaDetailing the omissions and biased framing within the museum's displays.

These findings come ahead of Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, which Korea marks as Liberation Day. The activists' visit highlights ongoing tensions surrounding historical memory and Japan's wartime legacy, particularly as influential Japanese politicians continue to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines convicted war criminals.

By displaying a life-size fighter plane, it seems that they are attempting to make the space feel like a theme park so as to immerse visitors in this fabricated story.

— Rei TashiroAnother youth activist commenting on the museum's immersive and potentially misleading presentation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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