War and Occupation

Paper Summary:

The recent change in the American foreign policy direction, which has seen the replacement of its traditional anti-colonialist tilt by the neo-conservative belief of guided nation building, evokes a lot of interest in the history of United States' occupation of post world war II Japan. The paper shows that although each occupation is different--the political, social and cultural environment as well as the historical context of every war and country being different-- it is interesting to study how the Americans handled the re-building of Japan in the post-World War II period. There is no doubt that the United State government's influence in shaping the future of Japan was overwhelming. In fact it would not be wrong to state that Japan's current political and economic status as a first world power is a direct result of the guiding philosophy developed by the Potsdam Declaration and further defined by the United States Government. The paper shows that in the aftermath of the War, the Supreme Commander for Allied Powers (SCAP) became responsible to carry out these policies and directives. The Allied Council and Far Eastern Commission had a formal but token involvement in the reconstruction of post war Japan. This was essentially an American undertaking. The reconstruction of Japan was accomplished by SCAP relying on the existing Japanese government and its agencies, especially the bureaucracy, to implement its policies. This paper examines how far the U.S. was responsible in changing the course of Japan's political and social direction and whether the lessons learnt from Japan's post war occupation and nation building are applicable in the present day scenario.

From the Paper:

"Perhaps the most glaring example of the American attempt of "re-engineering" the Japanese society and government was the new Japanese constitution drafted in 1946 in the Supreme Commander's headquarters on lines laid down by MacCarthur himself. The new constitution stripped the emperor of the sweeping powers granted to him by the Meiji constitution, making him instead just the symbol of the Japanese nation in a largely ceremonial role. It provided for a British-style parliamentary system, with a cabinet elected by and responsible to the House of Representatives renamed as the National Diet . ("Japan," Encarta, para on postwar reform) In the constitution General MacCarthur insisted on inserting a provision that denounced war , besides recognizing the status of trade unions, the right of votes for women, and the freedom of press. The constitution is in some ways even more "libertine" than the American constitution".

More papers on War and Occupation:

• Research Paper # 103343 : "Iraq War and the U.S. Economy"
• Essay # 139927 : "History of Hong Kong: How Two Different Scholars Approach One Book’s Interpretation of the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong during the Second World War"
• Essay # 84566 : "Occupation of Japan"

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