China and Japan after World War 2: About

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII and Japan’s empire in Asia. In many ways, the experiences of wartime and colonization have been crucial to China and Japan’s self-conceptualization in the intervening decades. Likewise, the relationship between the two neighboring countries has been of fundamental importance to both, even as it has fluctuated wildly. The situation today is one of complex ambiguities: diplomatic mistrust running alongside strong economic ties; uneven and rapidly evolving cultural and social flows. Over a series of academic events – speaker talks, film screenings, and roundtables – “China and Japan after World War 2” reflects on these varied histories in order to shed light on underexamined aspects of contemporary Chinese life.