Japan After WWII (CB 27)

1. Japan After WWII (CB 27)

6. Japan After WWII • WWII was fought not only in Europe and Northern Africa, but also in Asia. • In fact, so much fighting took place in Asia, that many cities had to be rebuilt after the devastation of the war. • One of the US’s main enemies in WWII was Japan. In an effort to expand it’s ever-growing empire, before and during the war, Japan took over parts of China, Korea and other areas in Southern and Eastern Asia.

8. Japan After WWII • In its defeat, Japan was one of the countries devastated by the war. Many Japanese cities had been bombed into oblivion. • In 1945 the US dropped 2 atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered ending WWII. • Japan was now under the control of a US occupation headed by General Douglas MacArthur.

13. The US Role in Rebuilding Japan Infrastructure: The public systems and services of a nation. They include roads, bridges, water systems, sewer systems, power lines and courts. • After the bombing during the war, Japan’s infrastructure was ruined.

15. The US Role in Rebuilding Japan • US leaders wanted Japan to become a peaceful nation with a stable government that was chosen by its citizens. • The US believed that the social, political, and economic conditions that allow for the extremely militaristic colonial Empire of Japan to exist had to be destroyed. • United States and other world powers hadanother goal. Japan caused the war and Pacific which began with the Japanese attack on the American Naval base Pearl Harbor Hawaii in December 1941. Because of this, world powers wanted to make sure that Japan never became a strong military power again

18. The US Role in Rebuilding Japan • General Douglas MacArthur became the man in charge of the US occupation of Japan. Under the leadership of Gen. MacArthur, the US began helping Japan rebuild. • The US helped Japan strengthen his economy by helping to rebuild transportation systems, industry and urban infrastructure. • In the countryside, new programs were put into place for farmers who had never owned their own land. They were given a small plots of land to farm. • Productivity increase quickly and labor unions were encouraged. • However, business leaders who were a major part of the militaristic Japan of World War II were stripped of their power. • Japan got to keep its home islands but had to give up control of all this overseas possessions.

22. A New form of Government • The US wanted to change the way government was run in Japan. A new constitution was one of the major goals of the rebuilding effort. • McArthur did not wish to force the Japanese to adopt a particular style government, but it was US policy to have Japan establish a democratic government with active citizen participation and basic rights and freedoms • On May 3, 1947 Japan's new constitution became official. Under this Constitution the, Japanese emperor was stripped of his power and became a figurehead. Figurehead: A weak leader without any real power. • An elected legislator was given important powers. • The new Constitution all also include the Bill of Rights • To make sure Japan would not be the aggressor in war again, Article 9 of the Constitution states that Japan would never again be the aggressor of war. • Japan could no longer use its land, sea or Air Force is to settle disputes. • The new constitution had popular support among the people of Japan.

26. After the US left Japan • The US occupation of Japan lasted from 1945 to 1952. • In 1952, the US handed control over to the Japanese and Japan became a sovereign nation again. Sovereign: A country that has control over its own affairs and makes its own decisions. • In general, the Japanese people are comfortable with the changes that took place after World War II. • The economy recovered quickly and grew rapidly in the following decades. • Today, Japan has the third-largest economy in the world following only China and the United States.