A Tentative Analysis Of The Narrative Of The "Heroic Spirit Of Yasukuni" In Japan's World War II Memory

Since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the1970 s,after a honeymoon period,conflicts and frictions have been increasing in the early part of this century,and have escalated into diplomatic problems between countries on several occasions,among which the “Prime Minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine” and the “textbook issue” have been harmful.The “Prime Minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine” and the “textbook issue” have been persistent problems in the relations between the two countries.This article explores the deeper cultural and political causes of these diplomatic problems,namely the "Yasukuni Spirit" narrative in Japan’s World War II memory.The “Yasukuni Spirit” narrative has a broad popular base in Japan,as evidenced by the majority of Japanese people’s support for the "Prime Minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine" and the large number of Yasukuni Shrine worship groups that have a large influence in Japanese society.The "Yasukuni Spirit" narrative is based on the logic of wartime logic,the need for Japanese political rule,and Japanese social psychology,including a “culture of shame”,a “tradition of consolation”,and various wartime emotions.The “Yasukuni Spirit” narrative is based on the logic of war,the needs of Japanese political rule,and the psychology of Japanese society.The main process of constructing the “Yasukuni Spirit” narrative includes government guidance and the dissemination of the narrative by private citizens through text and video.The Japanese government,through its annual public World War II commemoration ceremonies,various official World War II events,and related speeches,selectively describes some historical events and rationalizes the deaths of World War II soldiers and officers,and works to promote their version of history as the basis for national identity.With the rapid development of mass media technology,Japanese society has promoted the gradual convergence of private WWII memories to official memories.Japanese WWII films are more like a “cover-up” for the atrocities of the war,while trying to incorporate national art to achieve “self-moving” national spirit.Based on the far-reaching influence of the “Yasukuni spirit” narrative in Japan,the resolution of the “Yasukuni issue” and the “textbook issue” which have plagued the positive development of Sino-Japanese relations,has become difficult.Deepening the understanding between China and Japan,and clarifying the construction process of history,will have a more practical effect on the resolution of historical issues between China and Japan.