Japan’s American InterludeHow did the Japanese themselves respond to the American occupation? How were the sweeping reforms—political, social, and economic—of SCAP’s program received? How permanent was their effect, and why did some succeed and others fail completely? How successful in the long view was the democratization induced by MacArthur’s “artificial revolution”? And what tendencies existing in fundamental Japanese attitudes and history might account for this peculiar success? Kazuo Kawai, Japanese-born and educated in America, a political scientist and journalist, brings his unique experience and knowledge to bear on these questions. The result is a book which tells the story of the American occupation of Japan from the Japanese point of view. “This book deals with the American interlude in the history of Japan during which time that country was not only occupied by American troops and politically controlled by American officials but was subjected to almost every conceivable variety of American influence. It does not attempt to tell the story of the Occupation itself, for that story has already been told many times by Americans who, as participants or close observers, were in a position to tell it well. Instead, this work deals only with selected controversial aspects of the Japanese reaction to American influence during the Occupation period.”—Kazuo Kawai, Preface |
Contents
CHAPTER IIIThe Background for Democratization 28 | |
CHAPTER IVThe Constitution 39 | |
CHAPTER VThe Emperor 52 | |
CHAPTER VIPolitical Reorganization 65 | |
CHAPTER VIIThe Location of Political Power 78 | |
CHAPTER VIIIEconomic Reforms 92 | |
CHAPTER IXLabor Agriculture and Economic Recovery 109 | |
CHAPTER XThe New Basic Education 124 | |
CHAPTER XIHigherEducation and Mass Education 136 | |
The Process of Democratization | |
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 167 | |
REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 172 | |
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Common terms and phrases
activities Allied American attitude authoritarian authority basic big business bureaucracy Cabinet censorship CI&E Communist Confucian course courts cultural Deconcentration Law democracy democratic despite Diet Eastern Commission economic educational system effect elected Emperor essentially eventually experience fact favor feudal feudalistic forces genro governmental groups historical imperial institution important individual industrial influence interests Japan Japanese educational Japanese government Japanese labor Japanese society labor union leaders liberal MacArthur Marxism Meiji Constitution Meiji period Meiji Restoration militarists military military fiat modern movement myth national polity natural newspapers Occupation officials Occupation’s oligarchs period point of view political parties politicians popular popular sovereignty position post-war Potsdam Proclamation practical pragmatic prefectural purge radio reactionary reforms regime represented respect responsible result SCAP officials SCAP’s sense situation situational ethics social surrender tended Tokugawa Tokugawa Shogunate traditional undoubtedly unions United universities wartime Western workers zaibatsu