Postwar Justice and the Asia-Pacific War: Jenny Chan on Unit 731, Public Memory, and the Aftermath of World War II in Asia

World War II is frequently taught within a clear framework: democracy defeated fascism, justice accompanied victory, and the conflict ended with surrender and trials. However, the history of the Asia-Pacific battlefield confuses the story being given. In this episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum, I talk with Jenny Chan, Director of Pacific Atrocities Education, about stories that are still underrepresented in public discourse, including the history of Unit 731, biological warfare, occupation, survivor accounts, and post-war accountability practices. Our conversation delves into how Cold War fears influenced what justice meant after the war. We explore why certain perpetrators were tried but others were granted immunity, and how data obtained through human experiments became part of national intelligence reasoning. We also explore the pedagogical challenge of conveying difficult histories rather than reducing it to simplistic nationalist or political perspective. This episode explores how institutions, educators, archivists, and political interests influence which atrocities enter public memory. Our conversation moves then to her work developing Pacific Atrocities Education's archives, lesson materials, publications, exhibits, and public engagement initiatives.   Learn more about Pacific Atrocities Education: Website: https://www.pacificatrocities.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pacificatrocitiesedu/ YouTube, Pacific Front Untold: https://www.youtube.com/c/pacificfrontuntold or https://youtu.be/kXfGybFXTJE  🎵Track in introduction preview by AKTASOK via Pixabay. Used under royalty-free commercial licensing.