ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how memory of the Pacific War remains a contested terrain between and within particular nations, showing how history is shaped by political interests. While national commemorative markers of the Pacific War are important in their own right, they are also part of a broader tapestry of contradictory regional histories. With the exception of the US, which is included due to its continued political, economic, and military importance within the region, the chapter focuses on how the Pacific War has been remembered in China, South Korea, and Japan. It is within East Asia that the debates related to the Pacific War have been the most intense and where interstate relations have been most strongly affected. Similarly, given the sheer number of contested "facts" and histories, each of which is intertwined with the identity politics of a particular nation, this chapter incorporates contemporary (2014–2016) events that are reflective of the impact of the past on the present.
