The inability to mourn and nationalism in Japan after 1945

ABSTRACT

Failure to deal with the issue of collective and social loss increases the risk of extreme nationalism. When taken too far, a repetition of manic defence can arise that manifests itself in the form of war. In this paper, the notion of the “inability to mourn” by the German Psychoanalysts A. and M. Mitshcerlich (1967) is discussed in relation to the problem of Japan’s post World War II nationalism, and its silence on social matters. The process of confronting past atrocities committed by the state is then discussed from the perspective of structural theory.

L'incapacité à faire face à la question de la perte, collective et sociale, accroît le risque d'un nationalisme extrême. Son exacerbation se traduit par une répétition de la défense maniaque sous forme de guerre. Dans cet article, la notion d' « incapacité à faire le deuil » mise en avant par les psychanalystes allemands A. et M. Mitshcerlich (1967) est mise en relation avec le problème du nationalisme au Japon au lendemain de la Seconde guerre mondiale et sa mutité sur le plan social. Le processus de confrontation avec les atrocités passées commises par l'état est analysé selon la perspective de la théorie structurale.

Das Versäumnis, sich mit den Folgen eines kollektiven und sozialen Verlusts auseinanderzusetzen, erhöht das Risiko für extremen Nationalismus. In ausgeprägter Form kann dies zu einer Wiederholung der manischen Abwehr führen, die sich durch Krieg manifestiert. In dieser Arbeit wird der Begriff der "Unfähigkeit zu trauern", der von den deutschen Psychoanalytikern A. und M. Mitscherlich (1967) eingeführt wurde, in Bezug auf das Problem des Nationalismus in Japan nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg und sein Schweigen zu sozialen Fragen diskutiert. Ferner wird der Prozess der Aufarbeitung vergangener, durch den Staat verübter Gräueltaten aus der Perspektive der Strukturtheorie erörtert.

Laddove il tema della perdita sul piano collettivo e sociale risulta inaffrontabile, il rischio che si presentino forme estreme di nazionalismo aumenta - e quando una situazione di questo tipo si esacerba può innescarsi una ripetizione della difesa maniacale atta a manifestarsi esternamente in forma di guerra. Nel presente lavoro il concetto di “incapacità di fare il lutto” formulato dagli psicoanalisti tedeschi A. e M. Mitscherlich (1967) verrà discusso in relazione al problema del nazionalismo giapponese del secondo dopoguerra e del suo silenzio in merito alle questioni sociali. Si discuterà inoltre, nella prospettiva della teoria strutturale, il processo attraverso cui può essere affrontato il tema delle atrocità commesse dallo stato.

El no abordar la cuestión de las pérdidas colectivas y sociales incrementa el riesgo de nacionalismo extremo. Cuando se lleva demasiado lejos, puede surgir una repetición de la defensa maniaca que se manifiesta en forma de guerra. En este artículo, se estudia el concepto de “incapacidad de sentir duelo” de los psicoanalistas alemanes A. y M. Mitscherlich (1967), en relación al problema del nacionalismo japonés post Segunda Guerra Mundial y su silencio respecto a asuntos sociales. Luego se analiza el proceso de confrontación con las atrocidades cometidas por el Estado, desde la perspectiva de la teoría estructural.

Acknowledgements

This paper was first presented at the International Psychoanalytical Association 51st Congress, 27 July 2019, as “The Inability to Mourn. WW2 and Nationalism in Germany and Japan”. Chair: Maria Teresa Savio Hooke: Tomas Plaenkers and Kai Ogimoto. We express our sincere gratitude and respect to our chair. She has continued to support us both academically and emotionally throughout the project. It is no exaggeration to say that this paper was co-authored by the three of us. A part of this paper was also presented by the first author, at the International Dialogue Initiative (IDI) Case Conference, 30 September 2020. The first author especially thanks Osamu Kitayama, Takashi Okudera, Gerard Fromm, Regine Sholtz, Haim Weinberg, Earl Hopper, Jeffrey Prager, Debra Gill, Vivienne Elton, and Harriet Wolfe.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This was an attempted military coup in Japan. Young extremists of the Imperial Way faction (Kodo-ha) had been active within the Japanese army, intent on using violent means to overthrow the conservative civilian government and set Japan on a course of military expansion. Their activities culminated in the attempted coup in which several prominent politicians were murdered and much of central Tokyo seized. The revolt was put down on 29 February and most of its leaders executed (Wright 2006).

2 This myth mirrors the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as contained in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Book of Transformations) from the 8th year AD: Orpheus descends into the world of the dead to see his beloved Eurydice again, whom death had overtaken after a snakebite. The god of the world of the dead, Hades, grants Orpheus the return of Eurydice to the world of the living on the condition that he not look around for Eurydice on his way to the world of the living. Shortly before reaching his destination, Orpheus can bear it no longer and looks around for Eurydice, who must then return to the world of the dead as a shadow. Returning to the upper world, Orpheus is slain by Maenads in a collective frenzy.