Between Nanking and Hiroshima : trouble-causing anniversaries in East Asia as an element of the Sino-Japanese rivalry

Years 2015-2017 witness a series of trouble-causing anniversaries in East Asia that commemorate WW II and its tragedies. Against the background of these anniversaries and the international political situation, China and Japan conduct their policies of memories. Both countries use history in their top-to-bottom nation-building projects based on victimization. In case of China, the anti-Japanese nationalism serves as a tool to legitimize CPP's rule and to enhance China’s international profile. In case of Japan, state historical revisionism questions Japan's responsibility for WW II crimes and presents Japan as a victim of US atomic bombs. Thus, both sides use history for their political goals and are unwilling to conduct work on their memories. It makes every anniversary a trouble-causing one.