Shohei Sato

Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda UniversityWaseda University*Profile is at the time of the award.

2022Inamori Research GrantsHumanities & Sociology

Research topics
A comparison of the British and Japanese empires' destruction and concealment of sensitive colonial records
Keyword
Summary
Recently discovered sources reveal that as the British Empire was unravelling in the mid-twentieth century, Britain ordered the concealment and destruction of many sensitive records in its colonies around the world. Ironically, this policy was code-named “Operation Legacy”. In East Asia, Japan is also known to have engaged in a similar act of colonial concealment following its defeat in WWII. This project compares the two cases, with the aim of gaining new insight into what we willingly forget and thereby shedding light upon the distorted nature of what we have come to accept as historical facts.

Message

I am happy and eager to cooperate and interact with people from various fields interested in the collective memory and self-awareness of humankind. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Inamori Foundation for supporting this adventurous research, and providing me with the opportunity to take on this challenge.

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Humanities & Sociology