81 years after WWII: How Japan’s wartime history is still shaping Asia today

August 15 marks 81 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II. Yet eight decades later, Japan’s failure to fully confront its history of aggression remains a source of concern. From downplaying wartime atrocities to questioning aspects of the postwar settlement, efforts to reshape historical narratives continue to raise questions about Japan’s commitment to the lessons of the war and regional peace. How should we understand Japan’s evolving approach to its wartime past? Why has historical reckoning developed so differently among the former Axis powers? And what are the implications for the postwar international order and peace in Asia today?

Guests in this episode of Dialogue are K.J. NOH, journalist, writer and educator; Wang Xinsong, associate professor at Beijing Normal University; and Dr. Warwick Powell, adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology.