Mains Marathon

• Introduce Japan’s participation in World War 2 (WW2) and the destruction aftermath.
• Discuss the recovery of Japan after WW2 and its associated problems.
• Conclude suitably.

Answer

Japan had fought World War II (WW II) as a coalition of Axis powers headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that opposed the Allied powers in World War II.

Japan’s defeat in WWII and atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ruined their economy and a large proportion of their factories and a quarter of their housing destroyed.

After the Second World War Japan was the fastest recovering nation. This would not have been possible without USA’s financial aid and opening their markets for import of Japanese goods.

Recovery of Japan

Political and military Reform/Recovery:

• Japanese could never again start a war so they were forbidden to have armed forces.
• Japan was given a democratic constitution under which ministers had to be members of the Diet (parliament). The emperor Hirohito was allowed to remain on the throne, but in a purely symbolic role.
• Nationalist organisations were disbanded and the armaments industry was dismantled
• A series of stable governments was the result of recovery and had the solid support of the farmers who had benefited from the land reform.

Economic Recovery:

• A land-reform plan was introduced and creating a new class of owner-farmers.
• Much of Japan's industry had been destroyed during the war, this enabled the new factories and plants to start afresh with all the latest technology.
• Recovery was helped by a series of stable and pro-business governments.

Role of America in Recovery:

• Japanese goods were allowed into American markets on favourable terms and the USA supplied aid and new equipment.
• The Korean War (1950-3) gave an important boost to Japan's recovery.
  • Japan was ideally placed to act as to provide a wide range of materials and supplies.
• The close relationship with the USA meant that Japan's security was well taken care of, this meant that Japan was able to invest in industry all the cash that would otherwise have been spent on armaments.

But the recovery was associated with some problems that are as follows:

Economic problems in Recovery:

• During the 1970s, Japan suffered two recessions due to increase in oil prices. (1973-4 the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised their oil prices and the 1979-81 oil crisis.)
• With the increasing share of Japan’s exports in the world, other countries placed restrictions on Japanese imports and forced Japan to buy a comparable amount of goods from their firms.

External threat in recovery:

• The Japanese were forbidden to have armed forces. Due to this, currently, Japanese are under threat from her neighbours with weak defensive and offensive military strength.
  • Japan was dependent on its western allies for defence and military strength.
• American occupying forces remained in Japan for defence purposes, it makes Japan more vulnerable for war on American causes.

Environmental/social problems in Recovery:

• Nuclear radiation due to nuclear attack on Japan resulted in generational deformity in newborns and acute illness among the population.
• A series of natural disasters due to her disturbing and volatile geography also inhabited the economic and societal recovery.
• With industries expansion and high rate of migration of workers increased such that only 20% of the population was living in rural areas in 1970. Congestion and pollution increased and overcrowding led to more difficulties.

Problems related to USA in recovery:

• There was anti-American feeling in some quarters due to their compromised sovereignty.
• Many Japanese felt inhibited by their close ties with the USA.
• They felt that the Americans exaggerated the threat from communist China,
• They wanted good relations with China and the USSR but this was difficult with Japan so firmly in the American camp.
• The renewal of the defense treaty with the USA in 1960 caused strikes and demonstrations.
• There was resentment among the older generation at the way in which Japanese youth culture was taking on all things American, which were seen as a sign of 'moral decay'.

In spite of these problems, there is no doubt that in the mid-l 980s the Japanese economy was still a staggering success. Japan’s Gross National Product was one-tenth of the world’s output. It had a trade surplus as consumption was less and production was more. Unemployment was low at less than 3 % and inflation was also below 3%. In the 1990s, Japan started setting up factories in the USA, Britain and western Europe.