US Occupation of Japan
Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
After Japan lost the Second World War, a US-led force occupied the country from 1945 to 1952. Its aim was to demilitarise Japan, meaning to take away its power to make war, and to make it more democratic. The Occupation brought in a new constitution with Article 9, the "no war clause". It also brought land reform, trade unions and an attempt to break up the zaibatsu, the big business groups run by single families. It changed Japanese politics and society for good.
Example
In the 1946 elections held under the Occupation, Japanese women voted for the first time.
Don't confuse with
- Commodore Perry's arrival (1853): The USA forced Japan to open relations, and a treaty followed in 1854. It was not an occupation. The Occupation came after Japan's defeat in 1945.
Related concepts
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
- Japanese post-war economic miracle
- Shinkansen
- Minamata disease