Yoshio Aramaki is a science fiction writer who lives and works in Sapporo. He has written about 180 stories, among the ones Konpeki no Kantai (Deep Blue Fleet) is highlighted by its alteration of the history of Japan during World War II. Using a divergence point, a "what if", the book presents a different Japan that does not attack Pearl Harbour and furthermore, is capable of liberating Asian countries from Western domination. While this book was widely criticized for its alleged military apology within a country scarred by war and nuclear disaster, Aramaki’s novel enables new generations to know about certain parts of Japanese history that have been somehow “forgotten”.
The interview with Aramaki consisted of a journey through his literary production, as well as many of his literary and artistic references since he also runs an art gallery in Sapporo. Aramaki is an exceptional case in science fiction by including art in some of his stories, as in Soft Clocks with the introduction of Salvador Dalí. As he pointed out, there is an important difference between Japanese and Western science fiction and society based on their relationship with technology. While Western tradition perceives AI as an enemy of humanity, Japanese fiction understands it as an ally of humankind.
Barcelona based Sonia Fernández Pan is the Curator-in-Residence at S-Air Sapporo from August to September 2016, researching around the notion of future in Japanese society.
