Overview

The world was stunned when Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine—how could war erupt in Central Europe in the 21st century? Yet it did. Why? One key to understanding this atrocity lies in Vladimir Putin’s distorted vision of Russian history—a glorified past weaponized to justify aggression. This manipulation of historical memory is not unique to Russia. It echoes most vividly in Japan during World War II, when suicide missions were named “Kamikaze,” invoking a legendary typhoon that repelled Mongol invaders 700 years earlier. This mythologized past was repurposed to inspire desperate wartime sacrifice. This phenomenon—where autocratic regimes selectively glorify history to legitimize violence and suppress democracy—is what this book terms the “Kamikaze Syndrome.” It is visible in China’s nationalist narratives, Myanmar’s historical revisionism, and even in President Trump’s America, where the slogan “Make America Great Again” evokes a nostalgic, idealized past with striking parallels to the memory politics of Russia and China. This book offers a compelling comparative analysis of Russia, China, Myanmar, and the United States, revealing how distorted historical narratives can fuel authoritarianism, erode democratic institutions, and ignite conflict. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand today’s turbulent geopolitical landscape, this book exposes the dangerous power of fake history in shaping the future.

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9789819521944

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Yoshikazu Mikami is an author, journalist, and a Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Mejiro University, Japan. He started his career as a reporter at Agence France-Presse (AFP) and later as a foreign correspondent at Reuters and Time magazine, covering Tokyo as well as different parts of Asia. His first book was “Aung San Suu Kyi Fighting Peacock Under Arrest” （1991）, one of the first studies of the Nobel Peace Prize winner in the world. Since then, he has written articles and books, including the chapter “Press Freedom Under the Government of Aung San Suu Kyi: The First 5 Years” (in “Social Transformations in India, Myanmar, and Thailand: Volume I,” Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).  Professor Mikami was awarded a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship, at the School of Journalism, Columbia University, and an International Fellowship at the School of International and Public Affairs, also at Columbia University. He was also Awarded a Rotary Foundation Scholarship and a Dean’s Honorary Fellowship in the same year. As a media expert, he has written numerous articles and chapters, including “Kamikaze” Syndrome from Russia to China to Myanmar: Fake History in a Post-truth Era Crushes Democracy and Ignites a War” (in “ASEAN and Regional Actors in the Indo-Pacific,” Springer, 2023), a shorter version of this book, on the selective misuse or abuse of history for political gain by autocratic governments, otherwise known as “Kamikaze” Syndrome.

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