PSC 300 1-27-10.doc

Occupied Japan (An experiment in Democracy) Aug 15th Japanese emperor relinquishes After the American occupation of Japan the citizens lived with fear and hatred Propaganda during the war on both sides caused Americans and Japanese to view each other in a way that was inhuman Japan->Americans Demons America-> Japanese Animals President Truman saw Japan as a necessary hub for American in Asia and therefore established American position in Tokyo, Japan. Americans wanted to recast the Japanese mind with an American mold General McArthur destroyed Japanese military arms and disarmed them During the occupation the media in Japan was censored and controlled while America slowly reformed them into a democracy McArthur wanted to promote small businesses and farming in Japan to try to make a capitalist economy Reform act of 1946 allowed farmers to buy chunks of land to individually own land themselves rather then work under landlords that just owned the land. The land reform was useful and allowed poor farmers to buy the land and was a positive move from the American side. Behind the scene of McArthur movement they planned postwar movements to promote government lead capitalism Japanese woman didn?t have many rights such as being unable to divorce, choosing who they marry, and inheriting stuff. The Japanese constitution was written by Americans and became a part of the Japanese culture. They had their first election and women were allowed to vote as well Japanese emperor lost his power but was kept as an image just like British king International court convicted 28 Japanese class A war criminals for war crimes and human rights violations 25 war criminals of the 28 were found guilty 7 were hanged In 1946 there was a purge in the Japanese government removing over 200,000 positions and restructured the government officials Transportation system was collapsing, Food was scarce Black market selling emerged. Bartering and selling stuff from black market was illegal and could. Promoted labor unions to prevent large conglomerates from completely controlling the Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Labor Unions became a large trend As the Cold War began they changed their reform methods a little to change Japan into a strong Cold War ally Truman Doctrine sent some financial help to Japan The Korean War turned the Japanese economy around because the Japanese industry supported the war effort and therefore helped their industry They became a supply base for neighboring wars and their economy was booming During the Korean war Japan began its international exportation and also made a trade agreement with America October 1950 McArthur was fired Occupation ended with a security treaty which kept American soldiers in Japan to keep stability Both countries are now tied together and need each other to thrive now