Ghosts in the Neighborhood: Why Japan Is Haunted by Its Past and Germany Is Not

Germany has successfully reconciled with its neighbors due to its participation in regional institutions like the European Union and NATO, while Japan has been hindered by its dominant partner, the U.S. This book argues that political cooperation, rather than discourse or economic exchange, is the key to achieving reconciliation and uses paired case studies to demonstrate this.

Format: Hardback
Length: 194 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2023
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Germany, a nation that has inflicted centuries of brutality upon its European neighbors, has largely managed to evade the lingering shadows of its past. In contrast, Japan continues to be tormented by the ghosts of its history in Asia. The prevailing explanation for this disparity suggests that Germany possesses a superior ability to apologize, while Japan is perceived as "impenitent." However, Walter F. Hatch challenges this conventional wisdom and argues that Germany has successfully reconciled with its neighbors by demonstrating its reliability as a partner in regional institutions such as the European Union and NATO. Japan, on the other hand, has never been granted the opportunity by its dominant partner, the United States, to showcase its capacity for cooperation in these same forums.

In this book, Hatch meticulously defends the argument that political cooperation, rather than discourse or economic exchange, holds the key to explaining Germany's relative success and Japan's relative failure in achieving reconciliation with their brutalized neighbors by each regional power in the past. To assess the impact of these competing variables on public opinion over time, the book employs paired case studies, examining Germany-France and Japan-South Korea, as well as Germany-Poland and Japan-China. Each of the four empirical chapters employs numerous charts to vividly illustrate the profound causal relationship between institution building and interstate reconciliation.

By delving into the historical context and examining the strategies employed by Germany and Japan, this book offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of reconciliation and the factors that contribute to its success or failure. It challenges the notion that apologies alone are sufficient for healing wounds and emphasizes the importance of building trust and cooperation between nations. This book is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of post-conflict reconciliation and the role of institutions in shaping international relations.

ISBN-13: 9780472075768