Topic: Does the “History Problem” Matter? Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Japan

Time and Date: 18:40, Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Venue: C108, SIS

Host: Dr. GUI Yongtao, Associate Professor from SIS-PKU

Speaker:Dr. Yongwook Ryu, Current Position: Research Fellow (aka: assistant professor), Department of International Relations @ the Australian National University, Education: Ph.D & A.M. Department of Government, Harvard University, Frank Knox Memorial Scholar, BA (Hons). Dept of Political Studies, University of Auckland, NZ , First Class Honors, BA. Political Science and Economics, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, K J Scott Memorial Prize (Top Graduating Student)

The so-called “history problem” (lishi wenti or lishi renshi wenti) relates to the understanding and
interpretation of Japan’s past colonialism in Asia, and has been one of the most controversial
issues in East Asian interstate relations. Not only has it tarnished Japan’s international image and
adversely affected Japan’s relations with the neighboring countries of China and Korea, but it has
also derailed the US rebalancing strategy in East Asia by restricting trilateral cooperation between
USA, Japan and Korea. Despite significant international audience costs and negative impact on
Japan’s foreign relations and security cooperation, why do Japanese politicians and public
opinion leaders still make controversial statements about Japan’s past history from time to time?
Why does the issue still linger on even when it involves no or little conflict of any material
interests?
Existing analyses of the ‘history problem’ provide no answer to these questions, as they focus
on the effect of the issue on interstate relations (Suzuki 2007; He 2007; Lawson and Tanaka 2010;
Soh 2008) and neglect if and how the issue matters in domestic politics. Furthermore, despite
extensive media coverage and heated exchanges of political rhetoric, empirical studies examining
the causal effect of the ‘history problem’ are still rare. The predominant case study method based
on anecdotal evidence is useful in providing the sociopolitical context, but is of little help in
proving a causal effect. Understanding why the issue persists and how it matters in domestic politics is the first step
in explaining why the issue is seemingly intractable. It would also help to find ways to resolve
issue.