Jason Morgan, an associate professor in The Faculty of Global Studies at Reitaku University, won the 7th Annual APA Japan Restoration Grand Prize in 2024 for his book, Why I Bow My Head at Yasukuni Jinja. An American who studied Japanese history, Morgan has spent one third of his life in Japan. Motoya Toshio spoke with Morgan about the inspiration behind this book, his passionate feelings about Japan, and other topics.

 

(Motoya) Thank you for joining me on Big Talk today, and congratulations on winning the 7th Annual APA Japan Restoration Grand Prize.

(Morgan) Thank you so much! I am very grateful to you and the judges. I was born and educated in the United States, where I was obviously taught that America was on the side of justice during World War II. I gradually began reading Japanese-language historical texts after I arrived in Japan, and I came to believe that the heroes of the Great East Asia War were not the American troops. The true heroes were the Japanese soldiers who gave up their lives to defend their country. In Japan, we refer to the spirits of these heroic war dead as “eirei.” I describe my feelings in Why I Bow My Head at Yasukuni Jinja, the book that won this award.

(Motoya) It is a fantastic book, and the judges unanimously decided to award you the prize. We have never spoken before, and I am highly impressed by your Japanese skills. When did you come to Japan?

(Morgan) I first came to Japan 25 years ago when I was 21, and I had my 22nd birthday here. Including the times I returned to the U.S. and traveled to other countries, I’ve lived here for about 14 years. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the American South. I attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where I majored in Japanese and Chinese history. I became good friends with a Japanese international student who taught me about Japan and its language. Since then, I’ve studied and worked in this country.

(Motoya) You highly appraise the eirei as an American who has done research on Japan and its history. I believe we would still live in a world of racial prejudice – one dominated by White people – if Japan had not fought in World War II. Japan lost the war, but its struggle led to the postwar world of racial equality.

(Morgan) I think so, too. I also believe the war is continuing from a long-term perspective, and that Japan has not been defeated. However, Japan is still occupied by “Washington.” My grandfather was a soldier on an aircraft carrier during World War II. He was aware that the war was started by Franklin D. Roosevelt, but he was satisfied that the U.S. won. I think that’s how most Americans feel. But if the eirei were true heroes, then everything I learned as a child was wrong. I struggled with this feeling of resistance while writing Why I Bow My Head at Yasukuni Jinja. Today I feel a sense of comradery with the eirei, and I believe the world needs a worthy cause like the one they believed in – a willingness to seek out truth and sacrifice your life to protect the things you cherish.

(Motoya) In your book, you describe what Japan and the eirei did for the world during the war.

(Morgan) Yes, and I see America and “Washington” as two separate things. My grandfather was definitely a patriot. Like Japanese people, my grandfather believed that he was forced to fight an unnecessary war, and he often remarked that he had been deceived by FDR. The America of today is not its rightful form. Washington controls the nation and has the government under its thumb. When I use the term “Washington,” I’m referring to the globalists with a doctrine of White supremacy – the elites descended from the North side in the Civil War. I was born in New Orleans, a city in the Southern part of the U.S. The South has been depicted as “evil” and the North as “good” since the Civil War. In the same way, Washington has been the “good” side and Japan the “bad” one after World War II. To me, the most vexing thing is how Washington still occupies Japan today. I agree with many conservatives who insist that Japan distance itself from Washington and strive for genuine independence. I’m only one person, but I intend to do what I can to help.

(Motoya) The Russo Japanese War took place before World War II. I think they were linked, and that there were two factions involved: the powers trying to achieve racial equality, and the powers striving to make all non-White countries into vassal nations. This perspective is essential when analyzing modern history. You and I share similar beliefs, and I think it’s extremely significant that you penned this book as a White man, a member of the winning side.

(Morgan) That makes me glad I wrote my book, although I don’t see myself as a White person.

 

(Motoya) Not everyone in Japan agrees with us, and there is a great deal of discourse saying that Japan was a bad country for starting the war. Many books portray that view, as well. My aim is to break free from this thinking and regain a sense of national pride by teaching that Japan was the true victor of World War II because it successfully built a world of racial equality.

(Morgan) I think you’re doing a great thing. Washington hasn’t changed in the past 80 years. Most of them don’t actually care about racial equality, and White supremacy still thrives. I don’t see Whites as the winners. Just like Japanese people, regular American citizens hope to be liberated from these Washington-based ideologies.

(Motoya) America dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with no prior warning. I’m curious if you think the U.S. would have done the same thing to Germany or another White nation.

(Morgan) No, there’s no chance that would have happened.

(Motoya) I agree. Racial prejudice was clearly at play. Those are the people who dictated the writing of the Constitution of Japan. It was created during the American military occupation, and we must promptly revise this document that is not an independent constitution. Our constitution should have been written by the Japanese people and include items based on our distinctive way of thinking. I find it quite strange that most Japanese citizens still believe we must not change a single word.

(Morgan) When considering constitutional issues, I think we should start with the concept of kokutai, often translated in English as “polity” or “national identity.” As a country with an Imperial Family, I’m not sure whether the kokutai of Japan can be expressed in writing. While the Emperor and Empress embody Japan’s ideal form, America and European countries are based on abstract ideas like liberal democracy. In contrast, Japan has a history and traditions going back 2,600 years. The concept of kokutai is widely known in Japan, even if it cannot be fully textualized, and is the source of Japan’s appealing qualities. That’s why I don’t think Japan particularly needs a constitution.

(Motoya) Perhaps you are right. Japan has survived as a nation, even after it lost World War II. Other countries might have split apart in those circumstances. We’ve constructed a single kokutai during this 2,600-year-long history, despite civil wars, rival warlords, atomic bomb attacks, and the war defeat. Also called the “Yamato ethnic group,” Japanese people have a strong sense of solidarity and harmony. It’s no exaggeration to say that this enabled us to build Japan into the economic superpower it is today. In my opinion, no other country is as great as Japan. Like you say, maybe we don’t actually require a constitution.

(Morgan) My research is heavily influenced by Kitabatake Chikafusa, a historian who served Emperor Go-Daigo in the Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods. At the beginning of his historical text Jinno Shotoki, he clearly writes that Japan is a “divine nation.” I was thunderstruck the first time I read this. The Puritans believed they were a chosen people and plundered the American continent based on this thinking. However, Kitabatake’s concept of “divine nation” means something entirely different from what Puritans and Europeans believed. I think that Japanese people should cherish these special qualities.

(Motoya) Yes, and I think the Special Attack Units symbolize just how special Japan is. Has there ever been another nation where approximately 4,000 soldiers volunteered to sacrifice their lives in suicide attacks? The Japanese spirit is founded on the belief that Japan is the Land of the Gods centered on the Emperor. That is exactly why the Yamato people maintained solidarity and were willing to sacrifice themselves to defend their country during terrible circumstances. It is also why the Japanese are so devoted to peace, cleanliness, and unity. To achieve world peace, perhaps we should work to make this spirit a common thing across the world.

(Morgan) That spirit of self-sacrifice is the main reason why I revere the eirei. The Yamato people have been consistently kind and helpful during my 14 years in Japan. All the foreign residents I know feel the same way. It’s clearly a unique country.

(Motoya) That’s a natural thing for Japanese people – we aren’t forced to act this way.

(Morgan) Yes, and that’s why Japan is so different from other countries. It’s your natural way of being, not something determined by powerful figures or religious dogma.

 

(Morgan) In particular, I think the words “o-sewa” and “kansha” give a sense of Japan’s unique qualities. The first time I heard “o-sewa,” I didn’t understand what it meant.

(Motoya) Do they have any English equivalents?

(Morgan) No, they can’t be translated into English. While doing research and publishing my results, I’ve been aided by many people like Sato Kazuo of the Association for Defending the Honor of Eirei and Yamashita Eiji. In Japanese, we describe this consideration and assistance as “o-sewa.” I feel the same way about the eirei who helped build the Japan of today, along with a great deal of “kansha” (profound gratitude) as well.

(Motoya) In Europe and America, written contracts and pledges are often used when promising something. Japanese people keep their word without being forced to do so and without signing any documents. I think that other countries follow what is written in their constitutions, but they don’t do anything besides that. In Japan we obviously obey the constitution, but we also follow unwritten rules, which is quite unique in my opinion. Maybe this is a natural characteristic caused by the fact that Japan is an island nation. Continental countries frequently capture other nations or are occupied by them. This may increase solidarity in specific regions, but it also inspires hostility with surrounding areas. Apparently, there is also a great deal of cultural intermingling. In many ways, Japanese people have closely shared things like accepted wisdom and culture, because they were born and raised on these islands, and they did not travel long distances. I think that many soldiers volunteered for the Special Attack Units because this common way of living brought about the concept of giving our lives to defend our descendants. I imagine that people in other countries think it’s crazy to take part in an attack when your death is assured.

(Morgan) I’m not Japanese, but I think the kamikaze soldiers weren’t crazy – they did something truly beautiful. Perhaps Mishima Yukio and I feel the same way about the eirei.

(Motoya) Mishima committed ritual suicide by hara-kiri at the Self-Defense Forces’ Ichigaya Station in 1970. I don’t think many other ethnic groups are capable of this sort of thing. However, I also feel like Japanese people have less fighting spirit today.

(Morgan) Japanese culture is extremely strong. I think Japanese people would do whatever necessary to fight if there was a crisis on the mainland. In my mind, that traditional spirit isn’t so easily lost.

(Motoya) I’m thrilled to hear those words from you, an American. I’m sure you’ve learned this truth from reading Japanese books and historical documents, and while speaking with many Japanese people.

(Morgan) Thank you. I was very uncomfortable when I first arrived in Japan. This feeling was caused by my own weak spirit that made me reluctant to accept help from others – the concept of “o-sewa” we previously spoke about – due to my pride and constant desire to accomplish things by myself. I no longer felt that way after living here for several years.

(Motoya) Was it your sense of pride as an American citizen?

(Morgan) That was part of it, I think. Our fundamental American stance and national characteristic is that we believe in doing things on our own. That thinking was my biggest obstacle when I arrived in Japan. I also experienced a lot of resistance to getting naked and bathing with other people. I began to feel more comfortable as I realized this feeling mostly stemmed from the fact that I could not behave exactly as a Japanese person. I became fond of the Japanese word “sunao,” another profoundly meaningful term that is difficult to translate into English. It means something like “honest” or “pure.” With this sincere mindset, I’ve taken each day as an opportunity to learn.

(Motoya) It’s interesting to hear that you experienced those difficulties, but you understand Japanese people so well today. Japanese citizens have a hard time understanding themselves without listening to the opinions of people from outside the country. I hope Japan will always be able to maintain its distinctive qualities that you praise so highly.

 

(Motoya) I always end the interview by asking for a “word for the youth.”

(Morgan) Put simply, I hope that young Japanese people will feel a sense of pride in their own history.

(Motoya) That is extremely important. The rooftop of APA Group’s building in Akasaka Mitsuke has a signboard with a single kanji character: “hokori,” which means “pride.” It’s visible from the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, Diet Members’ Office Building, and APA Hotel Pride Akasaka Kokkaigijidomae. I put up this signboard because I think it’s wrong that fewer people feel pride in their country today.

(Morgan) That’s fantastic. For Japanese people to maintain their pride, the first step is for them to visit Yasukuni Jinja, where they can see that history is still happening and get a direct sense of what the eirei accomplished. I hope they will feel this pride as they think about the future.

(Motoya) Yes, I hope many people will visit Yasukuni Jinja and live in a way that inspires pride.

(Morgan) I have one question for you. I’ve heard that APA Group has never suffered a deficit. Is that true?

(Motoya) Yes, we’ve never been in the red during our 53-year history, and we’ve paid taxes totaling hundreds of billions of yen.

(Morgan) I doubt that other companies have accomplished that, anywhere in the world.

(Motoya) Yes, I think we are unique in Japan and abroad.

(Morgan) What is your secret to this long-term success?

(Motoya) We focus on steady performance. Some companies do things that bring easy profit when the situation is good, but the same methods can lead to deficits when they make mistakes. I believe in taking care of our employees and the companies we do business with. I never want to tell them that we can’t place orders or pay wages because APA is in dire financial straits. That’s why I’ve searched for optimal methods to ensure continual profit. I don’t think I would feel so good putting up a hokori signboard if I focused solely on my own gains. Companies exist to create demand and jobs, make profit, and pay taxes. I can feel pride in my company and business because we have continually accomplished this.

(Morgan) That’s a great way of thinking. I’m also impressed by how you work to promote your views, including the APA Japan Restoration Grand Prize, “True Interpretations of Modern History” Essay Contest, and Shoheijuku academy. When my book was nominated, I remembered APA Group’s 1st Annual “True Interpretations of Modern History” Essay Contest. I’ve been a fan of Tamogami Toshio since I read his striking essay that won the first contest, titled, “Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?” I’ve been paying attention to the ways APA Group expresses itself ever since, and I was so happy to receive this award.

(Motoya) I see my business and efforts to share my views as two halves of a whole; I believe you must pay taxes before speaking out about what you believe. I feel like we’ve created a positive cycle in which Tamogami and the other winners inspire people who go on to win future awards. Once again, I’d like to congratulate you on your win, and thank you for sharing such a meaningful conversation with me today.

(Morgan) Thank you for having me.

 

BIOGRAPHY
Jason Morgan

Born in Louisiana, the United States in 1977. Studied at Waseda Law School, Waseda University as a Fulbright Scholar from 2014 to 2015. Earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 2016, and his MA Philosophy (Christian Wisdom) from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in 2022. Does research on themes such as Japanese legal and political history. His published works include Why I Bow My Head at Yasukuni Jinja (Hojosha), I’m Saying This Because I Love Japan: Globalists are the Enemies of Japan and America (The Moralogy Foundation), and The Vatican’s Insanity (Business-sha).