Disputes over collective memory are a common source of bilateral friction in international politics. For example, differences over war memory have negatively impacted Sino–Japanese relations for many decades, despite apologies and other attempts to deal with the problems. Why are history-related issues so persistent? Existing explanations suggest, for example, that efforts to improve relations have been insufficient, or that collective memory is used instrumentally for political expediency. This article contributes to this discussion by shifting the conceptual focus from memory to forgetting. It argues that dominant notions of forgetting as fading away and denial often facilitate an understanding of collective memory in terms of security. It suggests that a conceptualization of forgetting that sees it as inherent to all remembering could ameliorate tension over collective memory by making those involved in international memory politics recognize that not only others forget, but that they themselves also do so as they remember.

中文翻译：

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了解中日关系中与历史有关的问题的持久性：从记忆到遗忘

关于集体记忆的争端是国际政治中双边摩擦的常见根源。例如，尽管道歉和其他解决问题的努力，但战争记忆的分歧对中日关系产生了数十年的负面影响。为什么与历史有关的问题如此持久？例如，现有的解释表明，改善关系的努力还不够，或者集体记忆被用于政治上的权宜之计。本文通过将概念重点从记忆转移到遗忘，为这次讨论做出了贡献。它认为，遗忘随着逐渐消失和否认而占主导地位的观念通常有助于从安全性角度理解集体记忆。