Occupation and Reconstruction of
Japan, 1945–52
After
the defeat of Japan in
World War II, the United States led the Allies in the occupation and
rehabilitation of the Japanese state. Between 1945 and 1952, the U.S. occupying
forces, led by General Douglas A. MacArthur, enacted widespread military,
political, economic, and social reforms.
The
groundwork for the Allied occupation of a defeated Japan was laid during the
war. In a series of wartime conferences, the leaders of the Allied powers of
Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the Republic of China, and the United States
discussed how to disarm Japan, deal with its colonies (especially Korea and
Taiwan), stabilize the Japanese economy, and prevent the remilitarization of
the state in the future. In the Potsdam Declaration, they called for Japan’s unconditional
surrender; by August of 1945, that objective had been achieved.
In
September, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur took
charge of the Supreme Command of Allied Powers (SCAP) and began the work of
rebuilding Japan. Although Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of
China had an advisory role as part of an “Allied Council,” MacArthur had the
final authority to make all decisions. The occupation of Japan can be divided
into three phases: the initial effort to punish and reform Japan, the work to
revive the Japanese economy, and the conclusion of a formal peace treaty and
alliance.
The
first phase, roughly from the end of the war in 1945 through 1947, involved the
most fundamental changes for the Japanese Government and society. The Allies
punished Japan for its past militarism and expansion by convening war crimes
trials in Tokyo. At the same time, SCAP dismantled the Japanese Army and banned
former military officers from taking roles of political leadership in the new
government. In the economic field, SCAP introduced land reform, designed to
benefit the majority tenant farmers and reduce the power of rich landowners,
many of whom had advocated for war and supported Japanese expansionism in the
1930s.
MacArthur
also tried to break up the large Japanese business conglomerates, or zaibatsu,
as part of the effort to transform the economy into a free market capitalist
system.
In
1947, Allied advisors essentially dictated a new constitution to Japan’s
leaders. Some of the most profound changes in the document included downgrading
the emperor’s status to that of a figurehead without political control and
placing more power in the parliamentary system, promoting greater rights and
privileges for women, and renouncing the right to wage war, which involved
eliminating all non-defensive armed forces.
General MacArthur worked closely with Japanese Emperor Hirohito and all
top leaders in Japan to craft the new Constitition.
By
late 1947 and early 1948, the emergence of an economic crisis in Japan
alongside concerns about the spread of communism sparked a reconsideration of
occupation policies. This period is sometimes called the “reverse course.” In
this stage of the occupation, which lasted until 1950, the economic
rehabilitation of Japan took center stage. SCAP became concerned that a weak
Japanese economy would increase the influence of the domestic communist
movement, and with a communist victory in China’s civil war increasingly
likely, the future of East Asia appeared to be at stake.
Occupation
policies to address the weakening economy ranged from tax reforms to measures
aimed at controlling inflation. However the most serious problem was the
shortage of raw materials required to feed Japanese industries and markets for
finished goods. The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 provided SCAP with just
the opportunity it needed to address this problem, prompting some occupation
officials to suggest that, “Korea came along and saved us.”
After
the UN entered the Korean War, Japan became the principal supply depot for UN
forces. The conflict also placed Japan firmly within the confines of the U.S.
defense perimeter in Asia, assuring the Japanese leadership that whatever the
state of its military, no real threat would be made against Japanese soil.
In
the third phase of the occupation, beginning in 1950, SCAP deemed the political
and economic future of Japan firmly established and set about securing a formal
peace treaty to end both the war and the occupation. The U.S. perception of
international threats had changed so profoundly in the years between 1945 and
1950 that the idea of a re-armed and militant Japan no longer alarmed U.S.
officials; instead, the real threat appeared to be the creep of communism,
particularly in Asia.
The
final agreement allowed the United States to maintain its bases in Okinawa and
elsewhere in Japan, and the U.S. Government promised Japan a bilateral security
pact. In September of 1951, fifty-two nations met in San Francisco to discuss
the treaty, and ultimately, forty-nine of them signed it. Notable holdouts
included the USSR, Poland and Czechoslovakia, all of which objected to the
promise to support the Republic of China and not do business with the People’s
Republic of China that was forced on Japan by U.S. politicians.
The Constitution of
Japan, written by Douglas MacArthur, was adopted in 1947. It mirrored the US
Constitution with expanded property rights, elected 2 house legislature, courts
and executive, but included a role for the Emperor to appoint the heads of the
3 branches.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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