CONSEQUENCES OF AMERICAN OCCUPATION IN JAPAN sample essay

After the end of World War 2, defeated countries, namely Germany and Japan, were occupied with the forces of the Alliance, which consisted of three super-powers, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics. Seven years of horrible massacres and fights, the World War 2, stopped for Japan in September 1945. United States troops from the West and Soviet troops from the East, have occupied Germany region after region, and finally met in Berlin. Having been attacked with an atomic bomb, Japan was also divided into several parts; some of it, namely Kurile Islands and Sakhalin, went back to the USSR (both lost to Japan in Russo-Japanese war in 1905). In the other parts of Japan, the United States of America laid claim to become the only country to occupy conquered territories because of the great indelible burden of the war against Japan (Goff 1998: 307). Since then, Japanese people, as well as political and social structures, have experienced tremendous long-term changes. So generally speaking, after the end of the World War 2, the United States of America has started to remake Japan and its entire structure (Passin 1987: 414). In addition, the US declined all the intentions of the Soviet Union to participate in the occupation of Japan, this way leaving itself free path to lead Japan onto Western orientation.

The actual occupation has lasted a little longer than six years, from 1945 to 1951. At the beginning of the remaking campaign, it was of primary importance to choose whether to follow totalitarian path, or the democratic one. However, it is truly essential as well as significantly important to note that occupation of Japan differed immensely in many ways from occupation of Germany. Unlike Germany, ultimately Japan was not occupied with multiple nations, but with the US alone (Harries 1987: 76). This so-called freedom let the United States to put Japan on the road of gradual recovery, and consecutive prosperity. In addition, another significant difference consisted in keeping local government including the Emperor. Contrarily, in Germany all paramount authorities were crushed at once.

The United States opted for a generous way of occupation. First of all, the US provided food for over six million people, including colonial personnel and repatriated soldiers. The US had to provide food provision until Japan could recover its shattered economy. Secondly, occupiers had to rebuild political structure. The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) Douglas MacArthur supervised the Emperor closely, and deprived the Emperor his divinity. Later on January 1 1946, the Emperor addressed the Japanese people through the nationwide radio announcing his new status. This address was called the Declaration of Humanity (Goff 1998 : 344). Although the emperor did retain his stabilizing power, he was stripped of his divine status. After the Declaration of Humanity, which in case was the second time when the Japanese people heard the emperor’s voice, the real political upheaval began. Old Japanese politicians rose to power because of the removal of old guards; they have been opposing existing militarism principles. Military officers, industrialists, and official representatives were forbidden to continue their business activities. Afterwards, the writing of the Constitution followed (Tindall 1997: 956). SCAP MacArthur thoroughly supervised the writing process and made sure that the new Constitution, together with the Bill of Rights, consisted of elements of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the British Parliamentary System, and the Gettysburg Address. It was a very important step in Japanese history, since the new documents proclaimed people sovereign, enfranchised women, and provided bicameral legislature, with members of both chambers elected by universe suffrage. The former House of Peers was renamed the senate. Another unique verse was included into the new Japanese Constitution, “land, sea, and air force, as well as other potential, will never be maintained” (Schonberger 1989: 300). This very provision made Japanese Constitution unique. The Japanese were of course pleased with new regime; they liked new democratic path better than the previous military regime.

Generally, the most important changes that the United States of America had brought to Japan were changes in attitudes. The new attitudes America dictated altered tremendously Japanese nation in a positive way. Although the occupation itself lasted for less than seven years, it led Japan to the right path, it served as a catalyst that propelled Japan to prosperity. Due to the occupation, Japan is now one of the leading counties of the world, and is sometimes referred to as a modern miracle (Eccleston 1990: 96).

Because of the changes in the attitudes of the Japasene, their life began to change in a hasty manner, and the changes emerged in nearly all spheres of life. Japan had changed the old ways of farming and switched to a new style democracy. Fast and reassuring urbanization also took place; costal villagse have been changing to big cities filled with people dressed in the western style clothing. As discussed above, the Japanese went for a democracy that included a national government instead of the emperical one that claimed divine right to the ruler. Japan had formed more than ten new political parties, the largest being the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the second the Japanese Socialist Party (JSP). The LDP has been in control since 1955. As mentioned before, the United States did not allow Japan to have an army. However, with the flow of time, the Japasese formed a small army, navy and air force; they were raised for only one strickt purpose, which was national protection. These forces were known as the National Defence Force. However, Japan did not become as vulnerable as it may seem; iIf any major attack happened against Japan, the United States were to defend the Japanese. In addition, the United States maintained a right to form and operate military bases through out the country for their use and for the Japanese protection. Therefore, Japan did not have to spend money for defence; the US has enabled the Japanese to flourish in other aspects be it economy, politics or otherwise.

When the first accomodaction phase was passed, the new era began, in which Japan had to catch up with rest of the world. And that is the point when Japan showed to the world all its potential. Modernization has brought great results for the Japanese. The success of their industrialization and modernization can be seen as a triumph of the west. Many Westerners became interested in the Japanese progress that was shown at world fairs. The Japanese also became interested in the Western views of their country. It is for the amount of ideas the Westerners put in place in Japan, the modernization can also be called the westernization of Japan. The westernization of Japan happened mainly in the second half of the 19th century. Japanese military modernization was abruptly stopped in 1945 with the end of the war. However, by the time the Korean War came along, the Japanese were well into building their economy. The U.S. soldiers brought so much money into Japanese economy that it literally boomed. By the 1960’s the Japanese exports totalled 33% in America. This value is so great just because of the lenient trading policies between the two counties. These economic relations entailed vast profits for both Japan and the Unites States.

The US did alter Japanese attitudes, and this change has entailed great results and ends in modern Japanese economy. Japanese economy developed very fast; there were several reasons for such a speedy development. Education was one of the biggest impeti for the high-speed economic growth that the Japanese underwent. After the World War 2, Japanese Middle School education became compulsory. However, even with this new requirement females normally did not pass middle schools. Contrarily, males were encouraged to seek even higher levels of education. The more education a person received, the better the person’s job was. The positions in higher-level jobs went to people with high education, not to friends or ralatives. While on the other hand, people who only had middle school education were given jobs that were more physically oriented and/or unskilled. In this period of fast industrialization, the rate of high school enrolement went up by 40% . Thus, competition grew bigger between men for university spots. Competition in turn, stipulated faster growth rate in any sector, be it manufacturing or economics; everyone wanted to succeed. Such situation led to a rapid rebuilding of the economy. There were more jobs and money. The money goes through the economy and the workers who spend it and send it through the economy again. This feature played a major role in the development of Japanese economy, and Japan would have never acquired the level it has now unless the United States occupation had taken place.

The Japanese workplace code of ethics was another strong reason why the country grew economically so astoundingly fast. Incomes rose with age and experience; in other words people worked longer and for longer time spaces in order to make more money. In Japan, the government gave people money to go on vacations in other countries, but they never used to rest; that is how hardworking the Japanese had become. The Japanese believed that hard work, diligence, and perseverance yield success in education, as well as in other aspects of life. This tendency of individuals reveals a type that has no regard for their own well being, but only for the well being of their country (Shreshtha 1988: 76). This is also a strong argueement for why the Japanese could surpass the American economy. Japan believes that if they place a significant amount of hardship and toughness on their students, it will build strong-minded adults who are willing to give eevrything to the work environment. The Japanese school system is one that has many old rules. Japan is a densely populated country with little or no privacy. This is why in school the main rule is obedience. This is much different form the US school system, where the teachers have little or no power or control over their students. For the teachers, it isreally impossible to work with so many students in such a small place and not get along. Concerning teachers, any student who has any information to pass on and uses these sources with corresponding effort must be given the proper respect for doing so.

Ultimately, Japan has become economically advanced; some statisticians even say that Japan could pass the United Stated of America in the near future. And this would not be an astonishing event, taking inot account current production rates and exporting rates. Due to the democratic and western views in the very beginning of the remaking process, Japan has evolved into a highlt-developed state. And now it is undoubtedly that in any place of the world there is a Japanese product. Japan has built a name for itself that rings a bell. Japan has achieved it through its high-quality products that are mainly new technology based (Eccleston 1990: 214). Nowadays, the Japanese have tremendous output in the field of videogames, computers, and much more electronic instruments. Although at the moment, the Japanese government is spending tons of money trying to catch up and surpass the United States as an Internet giant, they should not forget that it was the US that entailed present Japanese development. The Japanese are also trying to recreate their patent rules trying to harmonize with the United States rules and policies (Gatti 1990: 270).

As one can observe, the United States of America played a great role in raising and rebuilding post-war Japan. With the help of the United States Japan had become such a productive, wealthy, highly developed, industrialized country. Therefore, the Japanese must not forget that it was the US that caused Japan to be what it is now.

Bibliography

1. Goff, Richard and Moss, Walter. The Twentieth Century. Boston: McGraw-Hill. 1998. Pages 306-308, 344.

2. Tindall, George and Shi, David. America. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc. 1997. Pages 955-956.

3. Eccleston, Bernard. State and Society inPost-War Japan. Polity Press. 1990. Pages 92-100, 214-215.

4. Shreshtha, Pradeep. Post-War Economic development of Japan. Advent Books Division. 1988. Pages 75-79.

5. Passin, Herbert and Cohen, Theodore. Remaking Japan: the American Occupation as New Deal. Free Press. 1987. Pages 411-414.

6. Schonberger, Howard. Aftermath of War: Americans and the Remaking of Japan 1945-1952. Kent State University Press. 1989. Pages 299-301.

7. Harries, Susie and Harries, Mierion. Sheathing the Sword: the Demilitarization of Japan. MacMillan Pub Co. 1987. Pages 70-79.

8. Gatti, Franco and Raveri, Massimo. Rethinking Japan: Social Sciences, Ideology and Thought. Routldge/Curzon Publishers. 1990. Pages 265-271.
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