Events

Time: Friday, May 30, 2025, from 5:00PM to 6:30PM (JST)
Venue: DAICEL Studio, 1st floor of Science Commons Bld. (Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences), Osaka University Toyonaka Campus (and online via Zoom)
Languages: Presentation will be in English. Comments and Discussion will be in both English and Japanese

Registration: Please register from the URL or QR code on the flyer.

【Presenter】
ESTEBAN CÓRDOBA-ARROYO（Postdoctoral fellow, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science）

【Discussant】
UNODA Shoya (Professor, Osaka University)

【Summary】
This talk examines how World War II has been remembered and represented through visual media in Japan, China, and Taiwan, with particular emphasis on Japanese cinema. Over 200 films produced between 1945 and 2025 are analyzed using a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative film analysis with quantitative content mapping. The study shows how shifting political climates influence portrayals of Japan’s wartime past: often as national tragedy, occasionally as self-critical reflection. Comparative cases from Chinese and Taiwanese cinema reveal contrasting narratives shaped by historical tensions and current geopolitics. Building on Ezra Vogel’s call to use visual media as a tool for historical accountability and cross-cultural dialogue, this lecture highlights cinema’s potential as a platform for reconciliation in East Asia.