ABSTRACT
More than a half-century after the end of the Second World War, the subject of Japanese imperialism in China’s northeast, a region once called Manchuria, 1 remains strongly contested historical terrain. While Chinese historians in the postwar era have consistently emphasized invasion, subjugation, and exploitation, until the 1970s Japanese historians focused primarily on issues pertaining to colonial development. 2 Although since then growing numbers of Japanese have begun to explore the more brutal aspects of the occupation, some continue to deny the more heinous accusations of those who suffered under Japanese rule. Having carried over into the legal arena, the implications of these divisions of perspective extend far beyond the academic. 3
