Feature: Younger generation's apathy towards Japan's wartime history symptomatic of social disillusionment

The significance of this year and what it means to Japan, its closest neighbors like China and South Korea and the broader international community is nothing short of monumental as the countdown to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II begins in earnest.

But while this occasion for many in Japan and, indeed, for the majority of those in East Asia who remember the intolerable and inhumane suffering of their elders and those dearly departed since the war, under the brutal hands of Japan's Imperial Army, will be a time for personal reflection, introspection, mourning, remorse and, hopefully, resolve to contribute to peace in their families, neighborhoods, societies, countries and the world in general in the future, for some in Japan, this occasion is, sadly, somewhat trivial.

"It's trivial in as much as they are ignorant about the details, the facts and the great changes that WWII brought about to Japan and the rest of the world; the fact that while all wars are a tragedy and Japan's horrific deeds in WWII unforgivable, knowing the truth about history is the only way to fully appreciate what we have now and to ensure we can pass this on to future generations by ensuring peace continues," author and sociologist Keiko Gono told Xinhua.

"Age is really no excuse for ignorance, but, by-in-large, the younger generations in Japan in particular, even those in their thirties and forties, are rather clueless when it comes to the details of Japan's history and the problem is twofold. Firstly, the education system is to blame and this is only set to get worse and secondly, there's an apathy towards historical issues here, that, according to my research reflects a growing general malaise and disillusionment towards society in Japan," Gono said.

The sociologist went on to explain that the baby-boomer generation in Japan was all about making money, building wealth and acquiring assets, owning property and, of course, starting families. Their parents were the ones who essentially rebuilt Japan after it was leveled towards the end of WWII and worked their fingers to the bone to rebuild the nation to become one of the biggest and most important economies in the world, alongside the United States, China, Germany, France and Britain.

They were a frugal and grateful generation unlike their children would be, Gono continued, building their own properties and saving their money as much as they could, while at the same time nurturing community spirits which at the time meant that everyone in a particular neighborhood would know and help each other, share food and other resources, take care of each other's children, all the while still striving to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, as the economy started to grow incrementally.

"Simply speaking the baby-boomers inherited a very comfortable lifestyle thanks to the hard work of their parents. They could attend school and were strongly encouraged to do so and thereafter university and would be judged on the job they would land after graduating," Gono said.

"Their lives were all laid out as their parents didn't want them to toil like they had to. The 'escalator system' started in Japan, so these entitled kids were almost literally carried from elementary school and into a job without having to do a great deal for themselves, and this included studying -- and by studying I mean actually learning, not just remembering a bunch of facts to be regurgitated during an exam and forgotten about minutes later," she said, adding that education was considered a path to financial success only and had little to do with "personal or national growth, or mastery and scholarly understanding of subjects like history."

"I worked hard in senior high school so I could enter a good university, but if you were to ask me a single thing I was taught about history, I probably couldn't tell you confidently. My priority then, as it was for all of my generation, was to pass the entrance exam for university and get a good job. You don't need to be smart or have any comprehension of anything really to pass the exam, you just need a good memory, basically speaking," Hideo Kobashigawa, 53, an executive at a notable semiconductor firm based in Tokyo, told Xinhua.

"In school I was taught to memorize for tests. I wasn't actually 'educated' and as bizarre as that sounds this was the case, and not so much has changed nowadays," Kobashigawa said, adding that he was concerned for his two children's education, one of whom is in high school the other a new freshman at university.

When asked to state the details of the landmark Kono Statement that refers to the 1993 statement made by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, in which Japan acknowledged for the first time that women were recruited forcibly into sexual slavery and that the acts were undeniable and committed by the military authorities of the day, with the statement ending with Japan's sincere apologies, remorse and promise to face history squarely, Kobashigawa was flummoxed.

"I know the name 'Kono' because I hear it mentioned on the news a lot and I know there's been a lot of talk about 'comfort women' recently too, but truth be told, the TV news for me is just background noise until the baseball or some comedy show comes on. I know I should take more of an interest in news and politics as I 'm Japanese, but to be honest, I'd just rather not have to think about 'heavy' stuff like that, my job alone is hard enough," Kobashigawa stated both honestly and hopelessly.

He added that were the same question to be asked of his peers or colleagues, he was doubtful if any of them could answer to a degree of satisfactory accuracy and that issues of history and politics were rarely discussed among his colleagues, beyond the occasional alcohol-fueled whinge based on something inflammatory someone had read in the Sankei Shimbun, for example, at drinking parties after work.

His own self-admitted ignorance aside, his concern for his children is a relevant one, as the younger generations here are facing a myriad of social issues that their parents didn't experience or have to deal with. Instances of bullying in schools is on the rise, teaching standards and accountability in some cases are highly dubious and for the current generation of " tweenies," there seems to be an utter sense of disenchantment with their lives and hopes for the future, with the concepts of " ambition," "drive," and "determination," seemingly being alien to this demographic.

"I've tried exactly the same approach myself with university students and in polls on the streets to youngsters, asking them if they understood why there are currently problems between Japan and China and Japan and South Korea, how and when they started and how they could be resolved -- which for me are important questions being that this generation, age-wise at least, will imminently be running the country in businesses, academia and political spheres, and those not in positions of power are still the future majority of the electorate -- but am often met with blank stares or ill- informed, knee-jerk or 'tabloidy' responses," said Gono.

Not only do these youngsters have no idea about geopolitical issues that are and will affect them personally in the future, such as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new war legislation, they don' t seem to have any desire to want to know, or to make an effort by themselves to find out what's going on now and how we got here historically, added the sociologist.

"Geopolitics and history aside, these kids' attitude towards life in general is pretty perturbing in as much as this dark, heavy shadow of apathy seems to be following this entire generation of youngsters around, and beyond their own instant gratification and hedonism, they don't seem to care enough about themselves or what's going on around them, to educate themselves, take an informed political stance, or set positive goals to reach in the future."

"But the onus of responsibility perhaps lies with those who are informed to continue the plight of informing the less informed or completely ignorant, but even that's a Catch-22 situation," she continued, "as so many of the teachers nowadays are as indifferent as their students, or just don't know how to engage with them. And now we have the issue of the revised textbooks to contend with, meaning even the skilled teachers are now supposed to rely on erroneous teaching materials!" an exasperated Gono exclaimed.

Not one to give up a fight, however, no matter how much the odds seem stacked against her, Gono wants to try and create a small positive change in every young life she comes across. Citing T. S. Eliot as one of the poets and essayists who most influenced her in her younger days, she said she quotes a passage from the Four Quartets set of poems, translated into Japanese, for the youngsters she interacts with to ruminate on: "The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence." Endi