ABSTRACT
Drawing on first-hand accounts from directors and curators, this chapter analyzes the range and differences in perspectives of a series of museums in East Asia that identify themselves as museums for peace. The meaning of the Japanese Colonial Empire Era (1895–1945), including the 15-Year War (1931–1945), continues to be highly contentious across the region.
The perspectives and activities of key museums of peace are evaluated. These museums include the following: the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, Harbin City, China – disclosing evidence of biological warfare; Fushun War Crimes Treatment Center and Treatment of Japanese War Criminals, Liaoning, China; the Museum of Japanese Colonial History, Seoul, Korea; Chukiren Peace Memorial Museum, Saitama, Japan – established by former prisoners-of-war who admit to war-crimes; Grassroots House, Kochi, Japan; and the Oka Masaharu Memorial Nagasaki Peace Museum, Japan.
Grassroots, civil society museums for peace highlight war crimes, resist calls to exacerbate hatred, and instead seek practically to establish friendship agreements and exchange programs across international boundaries.
