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Asian Communism and the “Reverse Course”
American Occupation
Initial PurposesDisarmament
Democratization
ConductMacArthur as SCAP
Thin US layer
Use Japanese bureaucracy
Contrast with Iraq
Shift in US Thinking
Interplay of foreign/domestic issuesForeign factors
Fear of Soviet CommunismRise of Mao and CCP in ChinaNorth/South split in KoreaSoutheast Asia as well
US Shift (Cont)
Domestic Factors (partial response to foreign “threat’)
Cost factors in OccupationRepublican criticism of Truman administrationChina LobbyUltimately, McCarthyism
Upshot
US changeFrom idealistic democratic Japan
To a renewed and economically viable Japan
“Bulwark of democracy” in Asia
Requires rebuilding and not reforming
Reverse Course
Breath of fresh air for conservativesShock of purge of government and business leaders, constitution, growth of left
Disappointment of leftStruggle into 1960s, effecting student movement, large segment of society
Seeds of postwar system The Japan with which we are familiar
Shift unmistakable by 1948 Pronounced after Mao’s victory in 1949
Political ImplicationsDepurging of right
Many returned to civil, political lifeKishi Nobusuke most famous example
Now, “Red Purge”Thousands fired from labor unions, businessesMany jailedEspecially hurt labor
Conservative Revival
Left-wing coalition governments lose outYoshida Shigeru in power 1948-1954
Established the conservative political base, still unbrokenCemented US-Japan relationship
Sticking point: Article IX
Economic Implications
Dodge Line adopted to facilitate revival
3/19/49 Joseph M. Dodge in JapanStem inflation, balance budget
Reduce money supply
Set 360 yen to dollar
Bitterly opposed500,000 lost jobs
Deflation
But successful in stabilizing economy
Zaibatsu Policy Reversal
No longer attacked: cosmetic changes
in ownership patternsStill around today (keiretsu), neo-zaibatsuIrony: great US business support for not breaking up zaibatsu
Japanese Labor
Shift from SCAP pro-labor stance
MacArthur forbids May Day demo ‘47
Labor loses support of SCAP and JapanNever becomes a political force in Japan
Conservative gov’t. repression
Key Role of Korean War, 1950-1953
June 1950:National Police Force of 75,000 (later SDF)
Helped speed San
Francisco Treaty
Sept. 8, 1951
“Gift from the Gods”
Economic boom
Ending the Occupation
Occupation ends formally 4/28/52
De facto earlier as SCAP role ceased
due to war
Soon followed by US-Japan Security Treaty
Japan as US clientUS bases in JapanNuclear umbrella
Assessing the Occupation I
Mixed review
Better than anyone expected
Uniqueness of the experiment Compare with Iraq?
Confidence/arrogance of US
An unintended consequence Founding fathers of Japanolgy
Like Peace Corps and Mormon missions
Assessment II
Positive side:Constitution—no amendments to a foreign constitutionLand Reform—support for LDP
Negative:Zaibatsu busting—Mitsubishi et al still with us
Assessment II
Mixed assessment:EducationLaborLocal government
Economic recovery still stunningThe human connection still stands out Popcorn on the Ginza and “Sayonara”Question for the semester: How democratic is Japan? What is the US credit/blame for that?
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