Japan’s demands for reforms of UNESCO’s Memory of the World: the search for mnemonical security

Abstract

This study focuses on the policy response of the Abe government (2012–present) to UNESCO’s inscription of the ‘Documents of Nanjing Massacre’ to argue that the historical revisionists’ perspective is central to the thinking of Japan’s UNESCO diplomacy. The UNESCO’s inscription heightened a sense of shame from the viewpoint of Japanese historical revisionists, leading the Japanese government to the unprecedented step of using its economic power to reform UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme and to prevent further inscription of historical documents that go against the view of the government. Because UNESCO constitutes the existing biographical narrative of Japan as a peace-loving, law-abiding country, the Japanese government remains careful to maintain a good-will posture to UNESCO. This article highlights the case of Japan to illustrate the importance of memory and identity change, as well as of the distinction between ontological security and the removal of threat to a historical narrative.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 Abe previously served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007.

2 Since the US suspended its obligatory funding to UNESCO in 2011, the amount of Japan’s contribution to UNESCO has been the largest in the world. Its position is expected to be replaced by China in 2019. See ST/ADM/SER.B/992 of 24 December 2018.

3 Interview with Masashi Takahashi in MOFA. 13 December 2016.

4 Interview with Masashi Takahashi in MOFA, 13 December 2016.

5 Interview with the then expert investigator for the Embassy of Japan in Singapore, 6 September 2017.

6 Interview with a member of the National Heritage Board of Singapore, 4 September 2017.

7 The author attended this meeting and learned from Haga’s comment that he and his colleague visited the archives that held the documents in China and tried to check the contents, but in vain.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ryoko Nakano

Ryoko Nakano is Professor of International Relations in the Faculty of Law at Kanazawa University, Japan. She was formerly Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. Her areas of interests comprise memory of war, the politics of security and identity, and conflicts and cooperation in East Asia. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University, Master of Economic and Social Studies from Aberystwyth University, and Master of Arts in Politics from Kobe University. Email: [email protected]