Memo #350
Featuring Nobuyoshi Takashima
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyKGbIXU2OM[/youtube]
A few weeks ago the Asia Pacific Memo sat down with Dr. Nobuyoshi Takashima, Professor Emertius at the University of the Ryukyus. He is a noted scholar in the areas of history education, textbook issues, war responsibilities and war memory, including those of Okinawa. Professor Takashima has been leading study tours to Malaysia and Singapore for the last four decades, researching, documenting and publishing on the history of the region, particularly the Japanese occupation from December 1941 to August 1945. He was a guest speaker at Towards Reconciliation: The 70th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War in the Asia-Pacific, held in Vancouver, BC.
In our conversation, Professor Takashima discusses the inspirations of his field research as a high school geography teacher, intrigued by his student’s perception of the wartime period. As well, he touches upon Japan’s war responsibility in Southeast Asia through his field research on the Malay Peninsula, the ongoing debate about reconciliation in Japan and the increasing obstacles against its recognition. Finally, he reflects upon whether Japan’s younger generation should continue to face postwar responsibilities.
About the Author:
Professor Takashima was interviewed by Professor Ryuko Kubota of the Department of Language and Literacy Education, UBC, with filming and post production editing contributed by Masayuki Iwase, Doctoral Candidate in the Faculty of Education, UBC.
