In the afternoon of November 6, 2015, the Beijing Forum session entitled “Road for Peace: Historical Responsibility and Multiple Memory” was held. Professors from all over the globe delivered speeches on their studies, which mainly focused on Sino-Japan relations.
The first speaker, Professor Barak Kushner, is an Associate Professor at the faculty of Asia and Middle East Studies in the Cambridge University. His studies focus on the war crime trials after World War Two. In China, where Japanese war criminal trials were held, the “Chinese National Party wanted to gain international approval and to pursue justice, but not revenge” Professor Kushner explained.
Second Speaker, Yoko Kato, professor of Japanese history at the Tokyo University, gave spoke on the Emperor System in Japan during the war. At the end of WWII, the temporary American government in Japan decided to preserve Emperor as its symbolic cultural figure, just like it used to be before the war, instead of a political figure. Professor Kato explained, the “American conclusion was that the emperor could be used to maintain peace and restrict the military”.
The third speaker, Professor Huang Tzu-chin from Taiwan University, gave a speech on reconsideration on the historical heritage of Sino-Japan war.
After the break, three other speakers gave their speeches on their studies from people’s personal perspectives. Song Jaeyoon, a historical novel writer from Korea, gave his insights regarding conflicting loyalties from people from China, Korea, and Japan.
Professor Hirotaka Okamura, from Tyu-ou University in Japan, gave a presentation on the changes in Japan’s perceptions of foreign affairs and Sino-Japanese relations. He focused on the cultural shift that Japan had experienced and its influences to Sino-Japan relations.
The last speaker, Mr. Hideo Fukamachi talked about “the China flying tigers’ in wartime. He pointed out that China tried utmost to welcome foreign allies, but there were cultural differences and misunderstandings that affected cooperation.
Written by: Ami Higuchi
Edited by: Wei Yuchen
