Rebuilding Japan After World War II

Reasons for Rebuilding Japan

Reasons for US Rebuilding Japan

• Stop the spread of communism throughout Asia and promote democracy in the region by reforming Japan’s monarchy into a constitutional monarchy (democracy with an emperor with limited power).

• Improve Japan’s economy in order to trade with Japan and sell US products to Japan’s market.

Reasons for US Rebuilding Japan

• Stop the spread of communism throughout Asia

• Promote democracy in the region by reforming Japan’s monarchy into a constitutional monarchy

• Improve Japan’s economy in order to trade with Japan and sell US products to Japan’s market

EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF THE

UNITED STATESIN THE

REBUILDINGOF JAPAN

AFTERWORLD WAR II

Japan declares war on the U.S. by bombing the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America then declares war on Japan and enters WWII.

Japan is granted membership into the United Nations five years after a seven year U.S. occupation.

Political, economic, and social reforms were introduced, such as a freely elected Japanese Diet (legislature) and universal adult suffrage (voting rights). Japan establishes a constitutional monarchy.

U. S. financial support, along with the Japanese values of hard work lead to a period of great economic growth for Japan.

The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII.

Today Japan has one of the most powerful industrialized economies in the world. Like the U.S., Japan encourages a market economy which motivates people to develop new ideas and expand businesses.

After WWII, Japan was placed under international control of the Allies through the Supreme Commander, General Douglas MacArthur.

19452009

1955

1945

19471952

1941

Potsdam Declaration

By 1945 Japan was almost beaten. The Japanese navy and airforce were completely destroyed. The soldiers were low on ammunition, civilians were going hungry, but Japan refused to surrender.

The leaders of Japan had told their army and civilians that it was dishonourable to surrender. It was better to die fighting than be taken prisoner.As American forces got closer to Japan the Japanese changed their tactics. Japanese pilots flew their planes straight into American warships in suicide attacks.

These kamikaze of attacks by Japanese planes were almost impossible to stop.

The Potsdam Declaration

• July 26, 1945: Japan is given an ultimatum, known as the Potsdam declaration:

1. Japan must surrender immediately or face “prompt and utter destruction”.

2. Implies that Emperor Hirohito would be removed from the throne.

3. No mention of Soviet entry in the war or the atomic bomb.

Excerpt from the Potsdam Declaration:

• “We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction. “

Japan’s Response

• Japanese premier wanted to accept, could not convince military leaders

• Hint from Tokyo that government might surrender, in return that Japan could keep their emperor.

• US insisted on unconditional surrender, ie. No emperor, because believed these hints were coming from people who did not have power to follow through. (May have been right)

• Officially - Japan refuses to surrender and announces that it will “ignore” the Declaration.

Japan’s Response to the Japan’s Response to the Potsdam DeclarationPotsdam Declaration

Japan’s response was ambiguous.Before Japan could agree to any surrender, the top military officials had to figure out a way to satisfy many different groups inside Japan. Japanese official Suzuki used the word mokusatsu which had a few different English translations.The US and the US newspapers interpreted the word to mean “reject” when in fact it could have meant something different.The apparent rejection of the Declaration definitely sped up the process of using the atomic bombs.

Japanese View of Japanese View of Unconditional Unconditional

SurrenderSurrender

Emperor Hirohito was totally against unconditional surrender.Americans viewed Hirohito as a symbol of military aggressionUnconditional surrender destruction of “divine” monarchy.

Consider this…

"As long as America and England insist on unconditional surrender our country has no alternative but to see it through in an all-out effort for the sake of survival and the honor of the homeland."

- Japanese prime minister Shigenori Togo in turning down surrender demand, July 11, 1945.

Plans to Invade Japan and Decision to Drop Atom Bombs

Uses for the BombUses for the Bomb

Against Germany or Japan

General Groves believed it could end World War II.

$2 billion used to build the bomb. Not using it would be a waste.

'If this weapon fizzles, each of you can look forward to a lifetime of testifying before congressional investigating committees." Gen. Groves to his staff, December 24, 1944

Plan to Invade Japan

• US planned to invade Japan with eleven Army and Marine divisions (650,000 troops)

• Casualty estimates for the operation were as high as 1,400,000

• Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to avoid such losses

Operation Cornet, the plan to take Tokyo

Many people in Britain Many people in Britain and America had little and America had little sympathy for the sympathy for the Japanese because of the Japanese because of the way they had treated way they had treated British and American British and American prisoners. Thousands prisoners. Thousands were starved, or worked were starved, or worked to death in camps by the to death in camps by the Japanese. There was Japanese. There was very little respect for the very little respect for the Japanese in Britain and Japanese in Britain and America.America.

Many people were worried about the effect of using atom bombs. Even though one had been tested in a desert in the USA nobody knew how big the blast would be or how far the radiation would reach.Would it destroy all of Japan? Would its radiation stay in Japan? Would the explosion set off an atomic chain reaction around the world? Should such a horrific weapon be used at all?

The Americans had The Americans had been dropping been dropping incendiary bombs on incendiary bombs on the wooden cities of the wooden cities of Japan for some time. Japan for some time. More people died in More people died in the night of the Tokyo the night of the Tokyo “fire” raid than “fire” raid than Hiroshima, but Hiroshima, but hundreds of planes hundreds of planes and thousands of tons and thousands of tons of bombs were of bombs were needed. One bomb in needed. One bomb in one plane seemed a one plane seemed a better use of better use of resources.resources.

But, America only had But, America only had two atom bombs in two atom bombs in August 1945. What if August 1945. What if Japan still refused to Japan still refused to surrender after both surrender after both bombs were dropped?bombs were dropped?

Alternatives to dropping the bomb

Drop the bomb or:

• Massive invasion of Japan, costing approximately 1 million Allied casualties

• Naval blockade to starve Japan and continued fire-bombing

• Demo of new weapon on deserted or scarcely populated island to pressure Japan to surrender

• Weaken Allied demands for an unconditional surrender

• Simply stop fighting

Saving Lives by Saving Lives by Using the BombUsing the Bomb

Non-combatants were dying throughout Asia at the rate of 200,000 per month.

The complete naval blockade of Japan would have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths due to malnutrition, dehydration, and famine.

The atomic bomb saved thousands of American soldier’s lives

Invading Japan?Invading Japan?

If America did invade Japan, many Americans would have died.

Secretary ofState James Byrnes claimed500,000.

Total combat deaths after four years of war – 292,000.

Arguments for using the atom Arguments for using the atom bomb on Japanbomb on Japan

Arguments against using the atom bomb on Japan1. The American government believed there

would be over a million American casualties if they invaded Japan. 3. The Americans had only made two atom

bombs by August 1945. They were very expensive and hard to make. What if the Japanese still hadn’t surrendered after both had been used.

4. The “fire” raid on Tokyo killed more Japanese than the atom bomb, but the raid had to be made by hundreds of US planes and thousands of tons of bombs

5. Nobody knew how long the effects of radioactive fall out would last, or if radiation would cause genetic mutation in humans, animals and plants for years afterwards.

6. Some people were concerned about the huge number of civilian deaths resulting from the atom bomb particularly as it looked like the Japanese were beaten.

7. The Japanese believed anyone who surrendered was dishonourable. Japanese soldiers refused to surrender to the Americans in battle even though they had lost.

8. America could show the rest of the world how powerful and advanced it was by using atomic weapons against Japan9. The Japanese treated prisoners cruelly. Many British and Americans had no sympathy for the Japanese when they heard how their prisoners were starved, worked to death or executed.10. As the Americans got closer to Japan they faced suicide and kamikaze attacks by the Japanese army and airforce.

11. The new weapon could make Russia feel threatened, and create a post war world filled with tension and fear as a result of atomic weapons.

2. Some American scientists and generals wanted to know what the bomb could do to a live target even though it had already been tested in an empty desert

12. Nuclear technology was new. Nobody knew if the explosion would cause an atomic chain reaction around the world.

categories

Technological reasons Diplomatic reasons

Humanitarian reasons Military reasons

10. As the Americans got closer to Japan they faced suicide and kamikaze attacks by the Japanese army and airforce.

9. The Japanese treated prisoners cruelly. Many British and Americans had no sympathy for the Japanese when they heard how their prisoners were starved, worked to death or executed.

8. America could show the rest of the world how powerful and advanced it was by using atomic weapons against Japan

1. The American government believed there would be over a million American casualties if they invaded Japan.

4. The “fire” raid on Tokyo killed more Japanese than the atom bomb, but the raid had to be made by hundreds of US planes and thousands of tons of bombs

5. Nobody knew how long the effects of radioactive fall out would last, or if radiation would cause genetic mutation in humans, animals and plants for years afterwards.

6. Some people were concerned about the huge number of civilian deaths resulting from the atom bomb particularly as it looked like the Japanese were beaten.

11. The new weapon could make Russia feel threatened, and create a post war world filled with tension and fear as a result of atomic weapons.

12. Nuclear technology was new. Nobody knew if the explosion would cause an atomic chain reaction around the world.

3. The Americans had only made two atom bombs by August 1945. They were very expensive and hard to make. What if the Japanese still hadn’t surrendered after both had been used.

2. Some American scientists and generals wanted to know what the bomb could do to a live target even though it had already been tested in an empty desert

7. The Japanese believed anyone who surrendered was dishonourable. Japanese soldiers refused to surrender to the Americans in battle even though they had lost.

A-Bomb Debate• Pros:

– Demonstration could be a dud

• Japanese might shoot down test plane

• Might put POW’s in testing area

- Only way to make Japan surrender

- Need to justify the cost of building the bomb and man hours spent working.

– It would end the war and save countless U.S. military lives

– Give U.S. more power in rebuilding Europe

• Mounting tensions w/Russia

• Cons:– Stage a

demonstration

– Would kill thousands of Japanese civilians

– Would be immoral to drop the bomb w/o prior warning

Truman’s MotivationsTruman’s Motivations..

Many historians believe that a main reason for the use of the bomb was retaliation for the surprise and brutal attack on Pearl Harbor.

After the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Truman said “This is the greatest thing in history.” and “Nobody is more disturbed over the use of atomic bombs than I am but I was greatly disturbed over the unwarranted attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor and their murder of our prisoners of war.

Thousands of POW”S were mistreated

Truman’s Truman’s True BeliefsTrue Beliefs

“We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark.”

“I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children.”

“He and I are in accord. The target will be a purely military one and we will issue a warning statement asking the Japs to surrender and save lives.”

Formal Warning Formal Warning to Japanto Japan

The leaflets called for a petition to the Emperor of Japan to stop the war and agree to thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender.

The leaflets called for a petition to the Emperor of Japan to stop the war and agree to thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender.

Sample Leaflet

On August 10, 1945 thousands of leaflets were dropped over the city of Nagasaki

On the 6th of August 1945 a B29 bomber plane called the “Enola Gay” dropped one bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Thousands of civilians were killed or horribly burned. More people died of atomic radiation afterwards.

This was the world’s first nuclear weapon. When another atom bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki a few days later, Japan finally surrendered.

The Americans feared that if they tried to invade Japan millions of American soldiers would be killed in suicidal attacks by Japanese soldiers. They had seen even civilians commit suicide when they invaded the Japanese island of Saipan. So America had to make Japan surrender without an invasion by American troops.

• The first Atomic bomb to be used in war… ‘little boy’.

• This bomb was shipped from the US a mere 4 hours after the ‘Trinity’ A-bomb test in the US.

• The actual radioactive material inside was the size of an orange.

The Atomic Bomb

Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer headed the new U.S. laboratory built to design an atomic bomb. Oppenheimer recommended a remote site in New Mexico for the new facility, where project scientists, many of them world-famous, could work together in complete secrecy. The Los Alamos Laboratory was opened in April 1943.

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Forced Japan to surrender and the end of the war.

August 6, 1945

August 9, 1945

_______

______

Hiroshima – August 6, 1945

• Chosen because of its large size, its being "an important army depot" and the potential that the bomb would cause greater destruction because the city was surrounded by hills

• Approximately 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945– About ½ on the day of the bombing– Others died from injury or illness due to radiation

• The majority dead were civilians

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Hiroshima Aug 6, 1945– 90,000 killed

• On Aug 8, the USSR declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria the next day

• Nagasaki Aug 9, 1945– 35,000 killed

• Okinawa had been much more costly than Hiroshima and Nagasaki Captain Paul Tibbets piloted the

plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima

Hiroshima - 90,000 to 100,000 persons were killed immediately - 145,000 persons perish from the bombing by the end of 1945.

Nagasaki

Leveled Area: 6.7 million square metersDamaged Houses: 18,409CasualtiesKilled------73,884Injured-----74,909Total------148,793(Large numbers of people died in the following years from the effects of radioactive poisoning.)

Nagasaki – August 9, 1945

• Nagasaki was one of the largest sea ports in southern Japan and was of great wartime importance because of its wide-ranging industrial activity, including the production of ordnance, ships, military equipment, and other war materials.

• Bombings prior to the Atomic Bomb caused concern and many civilians left for rural areas

• An area about 2.3 miles by 1.9 miles was destroyed

• Approximately 80,000 deaths by the end of 1945

Nuclear Strikes

Aug 6, 1945. Uranium bomb “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima, killing 140,000

Aug 9, 1945. Plutonium bomb “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki, killing 74,000

“I could see below the mushroom cloud…the thing reminded me more of a boiling pot of tar than any other description I can give. It was black and boiling underneath with a steam haze on top of it…We had seen the city when we flew in, and there was nothing to see when we came back. It was covered by this boiling, black-looking mass.”

~ Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. (pilot, Enola Gay)

8:15 a.m.Hiroshima, JapanAugust 6, 1945

Within a few seconds the thousands of people in the streets and the gardens in the center of the town were scorched by a wave of searing heat. Many were killed instantly, others lay writhing on the ground, screaming in agony from the intolerable pain of their burns. Everything standing upright in the way of the blast, walls, houses, factories, and other buildings, was annihilated. ~ Japanese journalist, August 6, 1945.

Hiroshima Before the Bomb

Hiroshima After the Bomb

Hiroshima, vicinity of ground zero

• Nagasaki before

and after the

atomic bomb

www.smh.com.au

Effects of the Bombs

Keloids

Atomic bomb survivor. 1945This patient's skin is burned in a pattern corresponding to the dark portions of a

kimono worn at the time of the explosion. U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, Washington D.C.

Years after WWII, President Harry S. Truman was asked if he had difficulty making the decision to use this new weapon. He responded without hesitation,

“Hell no. I made it just like that.”

And he snapped his fingers.

T. Loessin; Akins High School

World War II and Its Aftermath: Section 4

Color Transparency 178: Hiroshima, by Toshimitsu Imai

4 of 6

In an August 1945 poll, 85% of Americans felt it was OK to use

the atomic bomb.

When the bombs dropped and news began to circulate that [the invasion]

would not, after all, take place, that we would not be obliged to run up the beaches near Tokyo assault-firing

while being mortared and shelled, for all the fake manliness of our facades we cried with relief and joy. We were going to live. We were going to grow

up to adulthood after all. ~ Paul Fussell, age 21 in 1945

The Cost

• 2,000,000 Japanese Soldiers dead• 300,000 Allied Soldiers dead• 600,000 - 1,000,000 Japanese civilians dead• 11,000 American civilians dead• 60,000 Korean civilians dead• Mass devastation of Japanese infrastructure• Indigenous people of north and western Pacific

islands devastated by disease, cultural contamination, collateral damage, and atrocities.

• The list continues…

Surrender and Occupation of Japan

Emperor HirohitoEmperor Hirohito

The atomic bomb convinced the Emperor to break the deadlock of Japan’s generals and accept the Potsdam Declaration

He gave three reasons, "a collapse of domestic morale” and two military concerns: “inadequate preparation to resist the invasion and the vast destructiveness of the atomic bomb and the air attacks” (Frank, 345).

The atomic bomb was given as the main reason for the surrender of Japan

Surrender

Japan surrenders Sept 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri

Japan Surrenders

• In 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities- Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• The Japanese finally admitted defeat and surrendered.

• Japanese farms and industries had been destroyed, the government was in a shambles, and the Japanese people no longer saw their emperor as a god-like hero.

After WWII

• The Japanese surrendered in September of 1945.– Their country had been reduced to rubble.– Industries and farms were destroyed.– The government was in shambles and the

people were demoralized.– The Emperor had been exposed as an

ordinary mortal rather than the god the Japanese people had believed him to be.

Consequences and Reparations• The Japanese signed all peace treaties ending

the war and pledged to pay war reparations (damages) to the countries they had harmed during WWII.

• American troops were allowed to remain in Japan.

• The Japanese were not permitted to rebuild their army in any major way.

U.S. OCCUPATION OF JAPAN1945

After WWII, Japan was placed under international control of the Allies through the Supreme Commander, General Douglas MacArthur. Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepts the Unconditional

Surrender from the Empire of Japan

U.S. Occupation of Japan

• The U.S. was put in charge of helping to rebuild Japan.

• Japan was now controlled by a U.S. army occupation led by General Douglas MacArthur.

• MacArthur’s job was to rebuild Japan in a way that would guarantee that it would not pose a military threat to other countries in the future.

MacArthur General Douglas MacArthur, the American

commander of the occupied forces, was given the job of putting Japan back on its feet.

He was expected to create a Japan that would guarantee it would not pose a military threat to other countries in the future.

MacArthur wanted Japan to have a democratic government, but he also appreciated the important place the Japanese emperor occupied in the Japanese culture.

US Occupies Japan“Japanese soldier guarding road to Yokohama standing at attention with his back

to a conquering American soldier who is driving by in a jeep as he displays an attitude of great respect according to Japanese culture.” Life Magazine

NAVY TROOPS STATIONED IN JAPAN

The Occupation

• 1945 - 1952

• Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) - General Douglas MacArthur

• Two main tasks:– demilitarization– democratization

Condition of Japan Immediately After Surrender

Note two effects of Allied bombing raids on Japan.Destroyed numerous cities, shattered the economy,

caused deaths of two million people.

In the background are the remains of a Roman Catholic cathedral on a hill in Nagasaki, Japan following the atomic blast of Aug. 9,

1945.

Japan’s Post-War Infrastructure

• Much of Japan’s infrastructure had been completely destroyed by battle and atomic bombs.

• infrastructure- the basic structures or features of a city or nation; transportation, communication, sewage, water, and electric systems are all a part of infrastructure.

Reforms Made to Japan

JAPANESE CHANGES

REFORMS

POLITICAL ECONOMIC SOCIAL

New Constitution

ImproveInfrastructure

English as2nd language

ConstitutionalMonarchy

Emperor Strippedof Power

Women’sSuffrage

Market Economy

Invest in Human andCapital Resources

Japan adopts US culture

Rebuilding and Improving Infrastructure

Postwar Political Developments

74

Infrastructure

• Increased paved roads

• High speed ‘bullet train’ began service between Osaka and Tokyo in 1964

• New trunk line, ‘shinkansen’

Land Reform and Labor Reorganization

Rebuilding Japan

• Labor reorgnaization• Unionization – democratization• Dec. 1945 Trade Union Law right to

organize bargain and strike. • 1946 – I million to 4.5 million members. • Land Reform 2/3 of arable land – tenants

rents, • 1946 Land reform act – 5 million acres –

redistributed in 2-5 years

Education Reform

Postwar Social Developments

Education (Post SCAP)

• Hierarchical system remained: middle school, high school, college or university

• Increasing number of youths advanced to high school

• Educated-based hierarchy

78

Reforms Relating to Gender and Family

Postwar Political Developments

80

Women’s Status (SCAP period)

• Recruiting women to work as prostitutes in ‘Recreation and Amusement Centers

• Extended civil and political rights to women • First post-war elections: 39 women were

elected to the Diet, 10% of the seats• But the dominant position of males in the

family and in society at large was not overturned by constitutional reform

Postwar Social Developments

• Shifted from working in textile companies to electronic companies

• Living in company housing and enjoying very constraining benefits of paternalistic management policies

81

Women’s Status (Post SCAP period)

Postwar Social Developments

Gender Inequality

• Male graduates: entered managerial positions

• Female graduates: faced tremendous barriers

• Schooling for female: courses in home economics, health—learned the skills of good wives and mothers

82

Postwar Social Developments

83

Family Pattern

• Nuclear families & extended families: co-existed

• • Single family homes of middle-classes

• Extended family pattern changed

• Arranged marriage to ‘love marriage’

Cultural Reforms

84

Postwar Social Developments

85

Cultural and leisure activities/Living Style

•Mass media continued to play a key role

•Provided powerful sense of belongings

•TV broadcasting-NHK

•Change in social consciousness

Demilitarization and War Criminal Reforms

Demilitarization

• Purged almost all wartime officers and politicians

• Disbanded almost all militaristic associations and parties

• Prosecuted almost all war criminals– The issue of Yasukuni Shrine

• Dismantled almost all war industries

War Criminals

• Yasukuni Shrine was built in Meiji 2 (1869)

• Japan’s Pacific War criminals have been worshiped in it since 1978

• Strong protests from other Asian countries

The "Peace Clause"

• Article 9 in the 1947 constitution:

• “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes

• “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained”

Article 9 Controversy

• Renunciation of war• No possession of military forces• Denial of the state’s right of belligerency

1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

PP.155-56

Self-Defense Forces Established in 1954

Interpretation of LDP Government (until 2009)--Invasion is prohibited but self-defense is permitted.--SDF is a minimal power and not military forces

Alternative interpretations of Art.9--All war and military forces are prohibited, including for self-defense.--All war and military forces are prohibited, but Japan has self-defense rights.--War and military forces are permitted for the purpose of self-defense.

Political Reforms

Government Choices MacArthur decided to Japan would be a

constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy is one

where… He wrote a constitution for the country,

still referred to as The MacArthur Constitution, that created a two –house parliament called a Diet.

JAPANESE REFORMS (Changes)1947

Political, economic, and social reforms were introduced, such as a freely elected Japanese Diet (legislature) and universal adult suffrage (voting rights). Japan establishes a constitutional monarchy.

Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito.www.wikipedia.org

Japan’s New Constitution

• The constitution created a two-house parliament called The Diet.

• Everyone over the age of 20 could vote for members of the Diet.

• The constitution also included a Bill of Rights and guaranteed basic freedoms.

• The emperor remained as a symbol of the country, but was stripped of his power.

Japan’s New Constitution

• The constitution stated that Japan could never again declare war on another country.

• Japan is allowed to fight only if it is attacked first.

• Japan could not use its land, sea, or air forces to settle international disputes.

• Today, the Japanese government is one of the strongest in the world.

Japan’s Constitution In Japan’s new constitution

The emperor remained as a symbol of the country. The people were granted universal suffrage Everyone over the age of 20 was allowed to vote

for member of the Diet It also contained a Bill of Rights and

guaranteed basic freedoms. One clause in this constitution One clause in this constitution prevents prevents

Japan from declaring warJapan from declaring war. They are allowed . They are allowed to fight to fight ONLYONLY if they are attacked first. if they are attacked first.

www.japanfocus.org

JAPANESE CONSTITUTION

Transforming Japan into a Democracy

http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/shiryo/05/142/142_001l.html

web-japan.org

JAPANESE LEGISLATUREDIET

FREE ELECTIONS

AND WOMEN’S

SUFFRAGE

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4152602444592357615

US ENDS OCCUPATION OF JAPAN1952

US ends their occupation of Japan in 1952. Japan is granted membership into the United Nations in 1957.

Economic Reforms

Postwar Recovery 1945-49• The Japanese economy collapsed due to

input shortage. Inflation surged. Livingstandards plummeted.

• The US occupied Japan and forceddemocratization and demilitarization(but later partly reversed).

• Subsidies and US aid supported the war-torn economy.

• The priority production system, based on economic planning, contributed to output recovery (1947-48).

• Inflation was ended by Dodge Line stabilization (1949).

Army GeneralDouglas

MacArthur, head of GHQ

Rebuilding Japan

• Zaibatsu – cartels– Military-economic– Froze accounts, 83 companies were broken

up– Heavy industry (ship building, trucks)– Anti Monopoly law passed– 1957, 1200 companies reviewed, only 9

affected

Land Reform, 1946-50

1945 plan was rejected by GHQ (5ha max; only 11%of land redistributed; “absentee landlord” definition ambiguous)

1946 plan adopted and accepted by GHQ--All land above 1ha (4ha: Hokkaido) must be sold--Land price is nominally fixed under high inflation--Land buyers can pay in 30-year installments--For remaining tenants, rents are frozen and monitored

Implementation (mainly 1947-48)

--Involving 6 million families (2 million were losers)--Owned land increased from 54% (1941) to 91% (1955)--Labor-intensive: 415,000 officials and volunteers mobilized--Absentee landlord holdings: 80-90% transferred--Other landlord holdings: 70-80% transferred

MacArthur: “most successful reform” politically and for equity.

Redistribution of land ownership to actual cultivators

Reasons for “success”--Forced reform under US occupation (“landlords are evil”)--Accurate data and village network for easy identification of ownership and cultivators--Preparation by reform-minded officials (before WW2)--Availability of large number of educated staff (unemployment pressure)

Problem—economic inefficiency

--Average farm remained small: 1.09ha (1941)0.99ha (1955)--More incentive to produce? Estimated productivity did not rise.--Study shows no difference in rice farmers’ land productivity or labor productivity (1939-41 data) :

Owned land (3,780kg/ha, 20kg/laborday) Tenanted land (3,687kg/ha, 19.6kg/laborday)

Rural Life Quality Improvement Movement

• In 1948, GHQ ordered the Ministry of Agriculture to initiate nationwide “Life Improvement & Dissemination Movement.”

• Many local governments (Yamaguchi, Kagoshima, etc) also launched similar programs with enthusiasm.

• Official directives + grass-root village activities organized by life improvement dissemination staff (=village housewives).

• Daily life improvement: cooking, nutrition, meals, clothing, bedding, cleaning, washing, child raising, public morals, weddings/funerals, superstition, feudal habits, etc.

• Staff training in Tokyo and major cities; universities and research institutions providing information and techniques.

• Similarly, “New Life Improvement”, “Life without Mosquitoes and Flies Movement,” etc. up to the 1950s and 1960s.

M. Mizuno and H. Sato, eds, Development in Rural Society: Rethinking Rural Development, IDE-JETRO, 2008, in Japanese.

Coal

PowerShipping

Fertilizer

TextileSteel

Other

132 bil yen(3.9% ofGDP)

Mil yen % of GDP1946 9,011 1.9%1947 22,511 1.7%1948 62,499 2.3%1949 170,213 5.0%1950 60,161 1.5%1951 30,261 0.6%1952 27,000 0.4%

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

Million USD

Imports

Exports

US aidKorean War

demand

Price Gap Subsidies

Fukkin Loan Balance, Mar. 1949

US Aid and Korean War Boom

Two ArtificialSupports 竹馬経済(Subsidies & US Aid)

US REBUILDS JAPAN’S ECONOMY1955

U. S. financial support, along with the Japanese values of hard work lead to a period of great economic growth for Japan.

Economic Reforms in Postwar JapanEdited by Yutaka Kosai & Juro Teranishi, 1993

• Radical reforms were possible because of--US occupation--Wartime control that reduced the power & incentives of zaibatsu and landlords--General distrust in the market mechanism--Foreign aid and Korean War boom (macro supports)

• Labor, land and zaibatsu reforms for changing power relation, distribution, equity (not for efficiency)

• Three-step deregulation—(i) reforms under control, 1945-50; (ii) integration, 1950s-mid 70s; (iii) financial deregulation & SOE privatization, 1980s

Markets need time to grow, or political resistance?

The Tokyo Labor College was one of the many institutions created after the war in order to promote more equitable

economic development than had existed beforewww.japanfocus.org

THE COMPACT CAR

JAPANESE IMPORTS TO THE U.S. IN THE 1970s

Growth of Japan’s Economy

Korean War (1950 - 1953)

• Economic turning point for Japan:– war supplies to Korea– industrial resurgence– foreign currency

• 1945 - 1950 growth rate: 9.4%

• 1950 - 1955 growth rate: 10.9%

• 1952 Japan’s GDP matched prewar high

Korean War (1950-3)

• Economic turning point for Japan:– war supplies to Korea– industrial resurgence– foreign currency– economic reconstruction

• 1945 - 1950 growth rate: 9.4%

• 1950 - 1955 growth rate: 10.9%

• 1952: Japan’s GDP matched prewar high

High Growth of 1955-62

• Large investment in heavy industry

• Imports of energy and raw materials

• Government’s economic goals:– achieve economic self-sufficiency– achieve full employment– improve export competitiveness– keep domestic demand high

High Growth of 1963-1973

• Government’s “doubling income” plan– Large-scale infrastructure construction

• Labor-intensive to capital-intensive– Technological improvement and facility

modernization under government protection

• Aggressive export strategy– Businesses compete with foreign counterparts

under government protection

High Growth of 1963-73

• Government’s plan to “double the national income in ten years”

• scheduled 9% annual growth rate

• large-scale infrastructure construction– Shinkansen (bullet train)– Olympic Games– port, road, and rails– human infrastructure

High Growth of 1963-73

• labor-intensive in decline– agricultural subsidies– textile bankruptcies and

“excess capacity”– coal industry in serious decline

• capital-intensive on the rise– large firms had 10- and 20-fold

growth• electronics and automobile

Government response

• government responded to some sectors’ decline with reorganization and subsidization

• technological improvement and facility modernization under government protection– Ministry of International Trade and Industry

• constant and critical role in developing the computer industry

High Growth of 1963-73

• Aggressive export strategy– businesses compete with foreign counterparts

under government protection

• domestic market sealed off from competition

• Strict limitations on governmt expenditures

• 1965 Japanese exports exceeded imports for the first time in two decades

Government policies

• Macroeconomic success through internationally competitive firms– reduce the reliance on agriculture and small

industry– capital-intensive industries– technically sophisticated products– improve national economic infrastructure– improve human infrastructure

Protection of domestic market

• U.S. products and capital dominated world markets to an unprecedented extent in 1950s and 1960s

• Japan remained virtually unpenetrated by– foreign firms– foreign products– or foreign capital

• Bretton Woods system (1949 - 1971)

JAPAN REPRESENTED A NEW MARKET FOR AMERICAN GOODS AND SERVICES

THIS HELPED IMPROVE BOTH COUNTRY’S ECONOMIES

Japan’s Economic Growth

Political & economic institutions

• Japan compared with other industrialized democracies– economic institutions dramatically different– economic performance was superior– longest dominance by one political party– far greater egalitarianism in political economy– foreign and security policy tied to that of US

More shocks in 1990s

• Large and rising government deficit and public debt (now more than 200% of GDP)

• Aging population (median age now at 45)

• Banking crises and non-performing loans

• Asian financial crisis (1997-1998)

• “Hollowing out” of industry

• Natural disasters and terrorist attacks

JAPAN IS A MODEL NATION2009

Today, Japan has one of the most powerful industrialized economies in the world. Like the U.S., Japan encourages a market economy which motivates people to develop new ideas and expand businesses.

EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF THE

UNITED STATESIN THE

REBUILDINGOF JAPAN

AFTERWORLD WAR II

Japan declares war on the U.S. by bombing the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America then declares war on Japan and enters WWII.

Japan is granted membership into the United Nations five years after a seven year U.S. occupation.

Political, economic, and social reforms were introduced, such as a freely elected Japanese Diet (legislature) and universal adult suffrage (voting rights). Japan establishes a constitutional monarchy.

U. S. financial support, along with the Japanese values of hard work lead to a period of great economic growth for Japan.

The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII.

Today Japan has one of the most powerful industrialized economies in the world. Like the U.S., Japan encourages a market economy which motivates people to develop new ideas and expand businesses.

After WWII, Japan was placed under international control of the Allies through the Supreme Commander, General Douglas MacArthur.

19452009

1955

1945

19471952

1941