War remembrance in Japan tends to adhere to a seasonal schedule. As the nation swelters in the mid-summer heat, media coverage, particularly on NHK, comes to a head on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It then subsides momentarily before Aug. 15, when the Emperor and other leaders mourn war victims at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan.
Likewise, reflecting the chronology of events, it's been typical for the media to run articles dwelling on the outbreak of war with the United States in November and December.
I was a bit surprised, then, to see a number of articles related to the U.S. military and the Pacific War appearing at the end of August. It's entirely possible these represent a delayed reaction to Japan's frustrations following the June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While the world's eyes were focused on the two leaders in Singapore, Japan's sense of having been effectively excluded from the talks was palpable.
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