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Paper short abstract

This presentation analyzes three Japanese animated works using the concept of “Technology of Empathy,” focusing on how animation depicts war, death, and loss to evoke empathy in contemporary Japan.

Paper long abstract

This presentation analyzes three works—Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013), Sunao Katabuchi's In This Corner of the World (2016), and Goro Kuji's Peleliu: Gernika of Paradise (2025)—using the concept of “Technology of Empathy.”

The reason for selecting these three works is that Miyazaki's depicts engineers, Katabuchi's portrays women on the home front, and Kuji's shows soldiers on the front lines, making them well-suited for capturing the phenomenon of war from multiple angles.

“Technology of Empathy” is an analytical framework proposed by Yamamoto, the presenter, referring to characteristics manifested in cinematographic techniques and narrative structures. In contemporary Japan, where neither creators nor audiences have experienced war firsthand, animations dealing with war employ various ingenious approaches. The term “Technology of Empathy” refers to such approaches: the use of special effects photography, VFX, and AI; narrative structures evident in screenplays; (in adaptations) the selection of scenes; and interpretations of war.

This presentation specifically focuses on scenes depicting the pain and changes in humanity brought about by war—essentially, scenes of death. Miyazaki avoids directly depicting death scenes, Katabuchi portrays loss through air raids, and Kuji depicts soldiers dying on the battlefield. By examining these death scenes through the lens of “technology of empathy,” I aim to present a perspective for understanding the relationship between war and animation in contemporary Japan.