Out of the very stone: Korean hibakusha

Abstract

This article is concerned with the politics of memory in post‐war Japan as reflected in the treatment of Korean hibakusha. It is also an attempt to map a particular terrain in which conflicting representations of the past and present struggle to be heard. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki narratives have contributed greatly to the formation of Japan's post‐war national consciousness. For many Japanese the atomic bombings are the defining moments in their nation's modern history. The annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. Wreaths are laid to honour those who perished, visitors are solemnly escorted through the Park's Museum, and political leaders take the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to peace and national prosperity. At a discursive level, however, the atomic bombings have been situated within a ‘master’ historical narrative. It is a narrative which not only enhances Japan's image as a victim of the Pacific War, but has relegated other, contradic...