Posted in #3 Wages of Destruction

#3 Japanese Rehabilitation

  Published Date: September 25, 2017  4 Comments on #3 Japanese Rehabilitation

A kamikaze exhibit at the Chiran Peace Museum

  World War 2 brought destruction to many countries of the world, but none were affected quite as uniquely as the nation of Japan. The dropping of the atomic bombs completely changed history, and forced Japan to rehabilitate from an unprecedented event of immense destruction. This topic has led many historians to consider the ramifications and after effects of the bombings, both to the human population and Japanese identity. The rehabilitation of Japan following World War 2 is an interesting topic that can be addressed from many angels. One of the main issues of rehabilitation following the war was helping citizens that had been hurt or damaged by the blasts themselves. In his article, “Replaceable You: Engineering the Body in Post War America”, David Serlin discusses how the relations between the United States and Japan became involved with plastic surgery and medical technology following the bombing of Hiroshima. Ten years after the war, a deal was arranged that allowing twenty five women to receive plastic surgery to heal wounds they got during the explosions. The deal was made not only to help the girls, but also to ease the guilt and anxiety felt by both countries following the horrors of the destruction in Hiroshima. Serlin uses the case of the Hiroshima maidens to examine the mindset of the Japanese people following the war. He is able to clearly demonstrate that the maidens were able to help heal the Japanese feelings of guilt, at least in a small way. Their journey from anguish to success helped the people of Japan and the industry of plastic surgery. Rehabilitation of Japan occurred literally with helping the survivors of the explosions, but it also was a recurring event that took place over many years following the war. The memory of World War 2 is a contentious topic in Japan that is debated on even today. In “War and Peace: War Memories and Museums in Japan”, Matthew Allen and Rumi Sakamoto address the relationship between war memory and the museums dedicated to World War 2 that populate Japan. The museums in Japan are usually representative of two different approaches to war memory in Japan: “peace” or “war”, meaning some museums take a peaceful, guilt driven approach to memory, while others are more nationalistic and possibly deny alleged atrocities. The writers suggest that most of the museums are both war and peace after studying the different approaches of many museums in Japan. They claim that the combined approach of both ideas of war memory makes a better future for generations remembering Japan’s role in history. Allen and Sakamoto, through the study of the different museums, are able to analyze the way in which the Japanese population is able to heal it’s war memory with the varied museums. Japanese rehabilitation is a topic that can be discussed from varied viewpoints and perspectives. Serlin examines how survivors of the blast were able to receive new lives and assist in the changing of body standards. Allen and Sakamoto are also able to address Japanese rehabilitation through their museum survey. Both instances show that different approaches to issues in history can provide unique and valuable insights.   http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hic3.12108/full

Author: wward

4 thoughts on “#3 Japanese Rehabilitation”

  1. It is an interesting issue of how to approach war when your people are the losers. This is a problem we keep running into in the United States with Confederate memorials. It is much easier for Americans to paint the Japanese as the “bad guys” but for the Japanese many of their ancestors were these “bad guys” and it’s hard to completely denounce them.

  2. I find it very interesting that you say the Japanese have guilt from what happened in World War Two with the United States. They did do some really bad things but none equated to dropping an atomic bomb on two cities in the matter of days. I think that the ones who should feel guilty are the Americans and thats what i believe was part of the reason for the Hiroshima maidens. Why do you have think that the Japanese are attempting to ease a sense of guilt with the Hiroshima maidens?

  3. I agree with Owen. I believe the Hiroshima Maidens were a manifestation of American guilt following World War II. We believed that aiding this group would help make amends for the dropping of the bombs.

  4. I think that the concepts of the United States atoning for its use of atomic weapons by offering the Hiroshima Maidens surgery and the way that WWII is handled in museums are related but still distinct. For the United States, it was a matter of atonement and (if you are more cynical) making itself look better after the war. For Japan however, choosing between guilt and denial in the portrayal of history completely switches Japan from the aggressor to the victim in WWII and the postwar occupation.

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