U.S. Occupation of Japan Experiment in Democracy

U.S. Occupation of Japan

Experiment in Democracy

Wartime images

Kikuchi Shunkichi, c. 1940. Japan Photographers Association, A Century of Japanese Photography, p. 329

Nikudan sanyûshi

Wartime propaganda

• U.S. betrays its ideals• Japanese propaganda betrays its prejudices

Images taken from Dower, War Without Mercy

Goals

• Demilitarization (demobilization; Article Nine)

• Democratization• Post1947/48 “Reverse Course”

– Reconstruction– Pressure for remilitarization

Gen. Douglas MacArthur (SCAP)

Courtesy William Kelly

Emperor visits MacArthur

Courtesy William Kelly

Russian Perspective?

Courtesy William Kelly

American tutelage?

Courtesy William Kelly

Public education

Ohara collection

“First of all, gather your courage and speak up.”

Poster from first Postwar General Election, 1946

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Source: http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/img_l/S036/S036-001l.html; translation by Orr

Ministry of Education poster: What do we build a new Japan with? With the life that wells up from within the people, not just with the lives of men, but of women too. What shape does the force that wells up from below take? With the peoples’ honestly written individual votes of political participation. Not just a men’s votes but women’s too. So it’s a precious thing....

Sazae-san (cf. Blondie)

http://www.asij.ac.jp/elementary/projects/japanmro/Nina/

Tokyo 1945

Courtesy William Kelly

Tokyo 1945

Courtesy William Kelly

Hara Setsuko

Misora Hibari (“Tokyo Kid”)

Yoshida Shigeru

“Kantei” photo

San Francisco Treaty, 1951

Copyright 2001 Uldis Kruze and the University of San Diego

Courtesy: San Francisco Public Library