US-Japan Relations: Do We Share the Same Values and View of History? US, Japanese, and South Korean Perspectives

Abstract

History plays an important, changing, and, often, elusive role in the lives of nations. It is important because of its strong influence on the political life of a country. The fourth century BC Greek historian Thucydides presciently explained that nations go to war because of honor, fear, and interest. A country’s history is inextricably bound up with its honor, and often with its fears. History’s role in a nation’s life can change because history is not a fixed set of facts understood in the same manner by all forever. Fresh experiences recede into memory; new facts about old events come to light. Even more important, the same facts may be reinterpreted by new observers, changing significantly the nature and magnitude of their impact on public opinion and politics. The role of history is also elusive because there are times in a nation’s life when the impact of historical events looms large, and other times when it does not.