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PROGRAMME INFO |
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It was one of the 20th century’s most audacious experiments in nation-building. The postwar allied Occupation of Japan tried to transform a militarist, feudal nation into a modern Western-style democracy. In less than 7 years, General Douglas MacArthur and his team attempted to change almost every aspect of Japanese life. |
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They rewrote the Constitution, tried war criminals, demobilised Japan’s army, gave women the vote and restructured the economy. Along the way, they introduced Japan to the delights of Hollywood moves, chewing gum, nylon stockings and the boogie-woogie. With the start of the Cold War, the project changed direction - and the Occupation authorities started to concentrate on attacking Communism, rather than feudalism.
Writer and Asia expert Ian Buruma combines racy anecdotes and cogent analysis in his lively re-creation of this extraordinary era. And he meets a vivid cast of characters from the Occupation years: among them jazz singers, filmmakers, idealistic reformers, secret revolutionaries and ruthless gangsters. |
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CAST OF CHARACTERS FROM OCCUPIED JAPAN
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The above gallery is some just some of the cast of characters profiled in the next page. Click here for profiles.
BOOKS
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the aftermath of World War II, John Dower, Penguin 1999
Japan in War and Peace, John Dower, The New Press
Dear General MacArthur: Letters from the Japanese during the American Occupation
Rinjro Sodei, Rowman and Littlefield 2001
The Donald Richie Reader, Donald Richie, Stonebridge Press 2001
The Only Woman in the Room, Beate Sirota Gordon, Kodansha 1998
Embracing Defeat: Japan in the aftermath of World War II, John Dower, Penguin 1999
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RELATED LINKS |
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The Prange Collection of Occupation-era writings and memorabilia
The Korean War Project
Bibliography of books about MacArthur and the Occupation
The MacArthur Memorial
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