In September, China staged a boisterous military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II. The spectacle is part of a broader campaign in recent years, from museums openings, movies, and memorials, to elevate its role in what it calls the “victory over fascism.”
How accurate is China’s official narrative of WWII — and what political purpose does it serve? How does it differ from the way Japan, the aggressor nation, or Europe and the U.S., the allies, remember the war?
Rana Mitter, historian and S.T. Lee Chair in U.S.–Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, joins us.
See also Face-Off with Jane Perlez and Rana Mitter: https://open.spotify.com/show/1XnPbxcS20PCgamDoEmEba