External and Internal Reconciliation : War Memories and Views of History Regarding Japan in Postwar Taiwan

Taiwanese society today is often characterized as a Japan-friendly society. Yet things are not quite so simple. The formation of differing war memories and views of history is caused partly by the blending of selective elements of remembering and forgetting. Postwar reconciliation between Taiwan and Japan can be seen at two levels̶external reconciliation with Japan and internal reconciliation within Taiwanese society. Taiwan's postwar external reconciliation with Japan seems to have proceeded relatively well. Taiwan has recognized the contributions made by Japan during the colonial period. Of course, there exist a number of historical issues between Japan and Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan has shown little inclination to use these issues with Japan for political purposes. In contrast, internal reconciliation, that is, the work for promoting reconciliation within Taiwanese society, appears complex and unfinished even today. Two Taiwan-related controversies erupted in 2015 in connection with the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. One of them was a dispute concerning the views of wartime history held by Taiwan and Mainland China. Another revealed the existence of different views of history within Taiwanese society. Taiwan is left with the major challenge of how to share memories of different wartime experiences to achieve reconciliation. The issue of postwar reconciliation affects the formation of war memories and views of history in postwar society in numerous ways. As such, when debating reconciliation, we ought to avoid simplifying relationships to those between the perpetrator and the victim.