Nach Nürnberg und Tokio : "Vergangenheitsbewältigung" in Japan und Westdeutschland 1945 bis 1968

Compares Germany's and Japan's ways of dealing with wartime crimes and with ultra-nationalists. Argues that Japan has had greater difficulty coming to terms with the past than Germany. This is partly due to the fact that the Emperor could not be tried after the war. In addition, Japan was able to avoid confronting its own guilt by hiding behind the status of victim of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, an option not available to Germans despite the massive bombings and displacements of population in Germany. Examines how various forces - conservative governments, left-wing oppositions, the media, and historical research - influenced the coping with recent history. Discusses war crimes trials, reparations, and the development of a culture of remembrance in a Shintoist as opposed to a Protestant environment, as well as the student movement of the 1960s and its relationship to the past. Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-198) and index. vi, 201 pages ; 24 cm