With expert contributions from both the US and Japan, this book examines the legacies of the US Occupation on Japanese politics and society, and discusses the long-term impact of the Occupation on contemporary Japan. Focusing on two central themes - democracy and the interplay of US-initiated reforms and Japan's endogenous drive for democratization and social justice - the contributors address key questions:

• How did the US authorities and the Japanese people define democracy?
• To what extent did America impose their notions of democracy on Japan?
• How far did the Japanese pursue impulses toward reform, rooted in their own history and values?
• Which reforms were readily accepted and internalized, and which were ultimately subverted by the Japanese as impositions from outside?

These questions are tackled by exploring the dynamics of the reform process from the three perspectives of innovation, continuity and compromise, specifically determining the effect that this period made to Japanese social, economic, and political understanding. Critically examines previously unexplored issues that influenced postwar Japan such as the effect of labour and healthcare legislation, textbook revision, and minority policy. Illuminating contemporary Japan, its achievements, its potential and its quandaries, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese-US relations, Japanese history and Japanese politics.

About the Author

Mark E. Caprio is a member of the Department of Law and Politics, Rikkyo University.

Yoneyuki Sugita is Associate Professor of American History at Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Japan.

Reviews

'This book, in short, offers a refreshingly new approach to the study of the seven years of the American Occupation of Japan. The authors of each of the studies and the editors are to be congratulated for their successful efforts to look in a new way at this important period of Japanese and American history.' - Ray A. Moore, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 80, No. 3, Fall 2007

'Bearing in mind the rich literature on the political, social, and economic effects of the U.S. occupation, editors Mark Caprio and Yoneyuki Sugita have compiled a groundbreaking collection that adds to our understanding of Japan since 1945 in two ways. Expanding the scope of scholarly inquiry, the richly documented essays in Democracy in Occupied Japan study critical, but previously unexplored, issues that infl uenced postwar Japan, including health insurance, textbook revision, policing, and policy regarding resident aliens' - Journal of Japanese Studies, 2009

Book Information
ISBN 9780415560597
Author Mark E. Caprio
Format Paperback
Page Count 246
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 480g