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

Please join the Government Department as we welcome Walter Hatch, Professor Emeritus of Government at Colby College, who will speak on Ghosts in the Neighborhood: Why Japan is Haunted by Its Past and Germany is Not

• Wednesday, October 11
• 7:30pm
• Shannon Room, 208 Hubbard Hall.

Talk abstract:

Walter Hatch will discuss his latest book, Ghosts in the Neighborhood: Why Japan is Haunted by its Past and Germany is Not, published this year by the University of Michigan Press. The book explains why Germany has achieved reconciliation with European neighbors it brutalized in the past while Japan has failed to achieve reconciliation with Asian neighbors. Rejecting the conventional wisdom that apologies make the difference, Hatch uses four case studies (Germany-France; Japan-South Korea; Germany-Poland; and Japan-China) to demonstrate that Germany’s success stems from political cooperation through regional institutions like the European Union and NATO. Japan, by contrast, has been restricted by a dearth of such regional institutions in Asia — a function of its dependence on a bilateral relationship with the United States.

Bio:

Walter Hatch is professor emeritus of government at Colby College; associate in research at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University; and affiliate professor at the Jackson School of International studies, University of Washington. He is the author of four books, as well as numerous articles and book chapters, mostly focusing on the politics and political economy of East Asia. He was the editor of The Japanese Economy (M.E. Sharpe), and the director of the Oak Institute for Human Rights. Before earning a PhD at the University of Washington, he had a career in journalism, reporting for The Seattle Times and stringing for CBS News. Hatch is working on a new book, Bargaining with the Guardian, which explores the politics of U.S. military bases in Japan and South Korea.

Sponsored by the Department of Government & Legal Studies with support from the John C. Donovan Lecture Fund. Free and open to the public.

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