Japanese post-war economic miracle
Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
The "economic miracle" is the very fast rebuilding of Japan's economy after its defeat in 1945. It was not really a miracle. It grew out of Japan's history: a society that held together well, traditions of popular struggle, and close teamwork between the government, the bureaucracy (government officials) and industry. US support helped, and so did the demand for goods during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The miracle also had costs, such as serious industrial pollution.
Example
In 1964 Tokyo hosted the first Olympic Games held in Asia. In the same year Japan launched the Shinkansen bullet train. Together they showed the world that Japan had become a modern technological power again.
Don't confuse with
- Meiji industrialisation: Japan's first industrial push after 1868. It was paid for by a tax on farming and led by the zaibatsu, which were business groups run by single families. The miracle came after 1945.
Related concepts
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- US Occupation of Japan
- Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
- Shinkansen
- Minamata disease