While reading the Orr piece, I picked out a few major points for discussion:
In Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, there is a rejection of war and support of peace. To many Japanese people, Article 9 is a written symbol of their love of peace and harmony.
Oda Makoto is an important political writer who writes about the consequences of the victim consciousness. He strongly believes that the Japanese state was the oppressor during WWII. However, he emphasizes the importance of acknowledging Japan’s history as a victimizer.
Japanese antiwar ideals are reinforces in media and literature. These mediums frequently portray the Japanese people as innocent victims of war. They often do not recognize Japan’s history as an oppressor. What forms of media have we seen that push these narratives?
During the Parker readings, I made note of three big ideas surrounding the development of Japan’s nuclear arsenal:
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan developed a “nuclear allergy”—this led to restrained nuclear weapon ambitions, which is reinforced by Japan’s value of peace.
Many elites in Japan are tired of the relationship that it has with the US. They believe that Japan shouldn’t have to remain a “faithful dog” to the US. These elites would like Japan to develop its own security, and create a new identity for themselves.
Do beliefs surrounding Japanese security and nuclear development vary by generation? What do Japanese millennials think about the push for increased Japanese security through nuclear arms?
For our visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I am anticipating that I will deal with many conflicting thoughts and feelings. As an American, we were often taught in school that the US dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII was justified. Our teachers and textbooks argued that President Truman had no other choice, and that using nuclear weapons was the best way to put an end to WWII. Personally, I do not think our use of nuclear weapons was justified. I believe that nuclear weapons inflict catastrophic damage to innocent people, our environment, and future generations.
Despite my own personal beliefs, I still anticipate that I will feel a heavy amount of guilt while I walk through the museum. Walking through the museum will provide me with the Japanese narrative regarding the atomic bombs, which was unavailable to me during my education. I believe that I will be able to see impact of the atomic bombs, and how much it hurt Japan as a nation. Although I personally had nothing to do with WWII or the bombings, knowing that my own people caused something so horrific and seeing its effects memorialized will be difficult.
Based on the readings, I am also anticipating that I will see a theme of victimization of the Japanese people. Orr wrote that after WWII, the Japanese people put blame on the conservative government leading the war. With the rise of the peace and antiwar movement in Japan, the Japanese people illustrated themselves as victims of war. This idea of victimization was reinforced in education systems, literature, media, and artwork. However, this victimization often forgets to acknowledge that Japan also played the role as the victimizer. I am interested to see how these ideas are reflected in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.