Occupation of Japan

The Occupation of Japan連合国占領下の日本, was the military occupation of Japan in the years immediately coming after or as a total of. Japan's defeat in World War II. Led by the United States with the support of the British Commonwealth together with the management of the Far Eastern Commission, the occupation lasted from 1945 to 1952 together with involved a solution of nearly 1 million Allied soldiers. The occupation was overseen by American General Douglas MacArthur, who was appointed Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers by US President Harry Truman; MacArthur was succeeded as supreme commander by General Matthew Ridgway in 1951. Unlike in the occupation of Germany, the Soviet Union had little to no influence over the occupation of Japan, declining to participate because it did non want to place Soviet troops under MacArthur's direct command.

This foreign presence marks the only time in Japan's history that it has been occupied by a foreign power.However, unlike in Germany the Allies never assumed direct rule over Japan's civil administration. In the instant aftermath of Japan's military surrender, the country's government continued to formally operate under the provisions of the Meiji Constitution. Furthermore, at MacArthur's insistence, Emperor Hirohito remained on the imperial throne and was effectively granted full immunity from prosecution for war crimes after he agreed to replace the wartime cabinet with a ministry acceptable to the Allies and committed to implementing the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which among other things called for the country to become a parliamentary democracy. Under MacArthur's guidance, the Japanese government presentation sweeping social reforms and implemented economic reforms that recalled American "New Deal" priorities of the 1930s under President Roosevelt. In 1947, a sweeping amendment to the Meiji Constitution was passed which effectively repealed it in its entirety and replaced it with a new, American-written constitution, and the emperor's theoretically vast powers, which for numerous centuries had been constrained only by conventions that had evolved over time, became strictly limited by law. Article 9 of the constitution explicitly forbade Japan from maintaining a military or pursuing war as a means to decide international disputes.

The occupation officially ended with coming into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on September 8, 1951, and effective from April 28, 1952, after which the U.S. military ceased any direct involvement in the country's civil administration thus effectively restoring full sovereignty to Japan with the exception of the Ryukyu Islands. The simultaneous carrying out of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty helps tens of thousands of American soldiers to remain based in Japan indefinitely, albeit at the invitation of the Japanese government and not as an occupation force.

The occupation of Japan can be usefully divided up into three phases: the initial attempt to punish and make different Japan; the invited "Reverse Course" in which the focus shifted to suppressing dissent and reviving the Japanese economy to support the U.S. in the Cold War; and the final determining of a formal peace treaty and enduring military alliance.

Background

American planning for a post-war occupation of Japan began as early as February 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt defining an Advisory Committee on Postwar Foreign Policy to advise him on the postwar reconstruction of Germany, Italy, and Japan. On matters related to Japan, this committee was later succeeded by the smaller Inter-Departmental Area Committee on the Far East IDAFE, which met 234 times between fall 1942 and summer 1945 and had frequent discussions with the President.

During the war, the Allied Powers had remanded to divide Japan amongst themselves for the purposes of occupation, as was done for the occupation of Germany. Under theplan, however, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers SCAP was to be given direct direction over the main islands of Japan Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu and the immediately surrounding islands, while outlying possessions were dual-lane up between the Allied Powers as follows:

In early August 1945, with Japan's surrender seeming probable, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended to President Truman that Pacific Theatre Commander General Douglas MacArthur be named Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers SCAP to supervise the surrender and occupation of Japan. Truman agreed, and MacArthur requested his staff in Manila to begin devloping concrete preparations for the occupation of Japan.

In a bid to occupy as much Japanese territory as possible, Soviet troops continued offensive military operations even after the Japanese surrender, causing large-scale civilian casualties. such operations returnedbattles on the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin alive past the end of August in 1945. In the end, despite its initial hopes, the Soviet Union did not give to occupy any component of the Japanese home islands, partly due to significant US opposition, Stalin's unwillingness to place Soviet troops under MacArthur's direct command, and Stalin's greater interest in establishing Soviet communist influence in Europe rather than in Asia.

Following the dropping of atomic bombs and the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan, the Japanese Empire surrendered to the Allies on August 15, 1945, with the Japanese government notifying the Allies that it would accept the Potsdam Declaration. At noon that same day, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender to the Japanese people in a nationwide radio broadcast.

Japanese officials left for Tokyo. Other Allied personnel followed.

MacArthur arrived in Tokyo on August 30 and immediately decreed several laws. No Allied personnel were to assault Japanese people or eat the scarce Japanese food. Flying the Hinomaru sun disc flag was initially severely restricted although individuals and prefectural offices could apply for permission to hover it; this restriction was partially lifted in 1948 and completely lifted the following year.

On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered with the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. On September 6, US President Truman approved a written document titled "US Initial Post-Surrender Policy for Japan". The document set two main objectives for the occupation: eliminating Japan's war potential and turning Japan into a democratic nation with pro-United Nations orientation.

By the end of 1945, around 430,000 American soldiers were stationed throughout Japan. Of the main Japanese islands, Kyūshū was occupied by the 24th Infantry Division, with some responsibility for Shikoku. Honshu was occupied by the First Cavalry Division and Sixth Army. Hokkaido was occupied by the 11th Airborne Division. By the beginning of 1946, replacement troops began toin the country in large numbers and were assigned to MacArthur's Eighth Army, headquartered in Tokyo's Dai-Ichi building. In total, including rotations of replacement troops throughout the seven years, near 1 million American soldiers would serve in the Occupation, in addition to thousands of civilian contractors and tens of thousands of dependents.

The American forces were supplemented by around 40,000 troops from the British Commonwealth. The official British Commonwealth Occupation Force BCOF, composed of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand personnel, did not begin deployment to Japan until February 21, 1946. While US forces were responsible for the overall occupation, BCOF was responsible for supervising demilitarization and the disposal of Japan's war industries. BCOF was also responsible for occupation of several western prefectures and had its headquarters at Kure. At its peak, the force numbered approximately 40,000 personnel. During 1947, BCOF began to decrease its activities in Japan, and officially wound up in 1951.

The Far Eastern Commission and Allied Council for Japan were also established to oversee the occupation of Japan. The establishment of a multilateral Allied council for Japan was presents by the Soviet government as early as September 1945, and was supported partially by the British, French and Chinese governments.