Memory and postwar occupation policy : Presence and non-presence of emperor as a symbol in Japan and Okinawa

記憶と戦後占領政策 : 日本と沖縄における象徴天皇の存在と不在

Memory and postwar occupation policy : Presence and non-presence of emperor as a symbol in Japan and Okinawa

Creators Yoshimoto Hideko

This study aims to explore what frames collective memory through a comparative media policy analysis of mainland Japan and Okinawa during the period immediately after World War II. Collective memory studies often fail to clarify the framing processes as the memory is deeply intertwined with the society itself. Today, most Japanese commemorate the war on August 15, which is the day Emperor Hirohito made the radio announcement accepting the Potsdam Declaration in 1945 . However, Okinawans who did not listen to the announcement commemorate the war on June 23 —the day the Battle of Okinawa actually ended. What created the difference? This study analyzed what framed the Okinawans’ war memory as it differs from that of the mainlanders and, in doing so, explored how collective memory is framed by the political situation of the time.

[ISSN]2189-4825