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Paper short abstract:

The paper focuses on the positions various forces in Japan's political landscape take regarding sensitive issues of historical memory, particularly those related to Japan's colonial and wartime past, with the emphasis on politically instrumental and pragmatic way in which such issues are used.

Paper long abstract:

The paper focuses on the way various domestic political actors in Japan, i.e. political parties, factions, as well as individual politicians treat sensitive issues of historical memory, particularly those related to Japan's wartime and colonial past. Several types of positions regarding these issues are specified, including nationalistic revisionism, active repentance, and neutral or ignoring attitude. The two main puzzles addressed are, first, that significant differences in attitudes often exist on an intra- rather than inter-party basis, and, second, that particular political gestures related to the issues of historical memory often have significant negative effects on Japan's international relations as a whole, and yet politicians make them anyway. The influence upon specific aspects of Japan's political system, such as factionalism in political parties, is discussed. The theoretical framework of rational choice is applied to the question of why an actor may choose to emphasize a particular historical issue as a part of his/her political agenda, with possible explanations including seeking to increase support from the electoral base or specific interest groups, as well as trying to promote and strengthen one's particular "political brand".