The Nature of the American reform

In this chapter, Dower points out many paradoxes of American occupation, the contradictions between the values the Americans introduced to the Japanese and the way they treated the Japanese in introducing the values. These paradoxes complicate our view of the American occupation, making it impossible for us to make black and white judgments on it. 1. MacArthur implemented many policies that he himself opposed ideologically Including trade unions, and communism. He wanted to show the Japanese people what democracy was like, and to use “Freedom of speech” to transform theJapanese unquestioning obedience to government. There was, however, the paradox of freedom of speech and virtual prohibition of bad mouthing of the American occupational forces. 2. Is there anything wrong with treating the one who brought about democracy as if he was the emperor? That was the way many Japanese treated MacArthur. It was revealing of the way democracy was implemented in Japan. The basis of democracy is popular sovereignty. But when the Japanese were given democracy, they did not have personal choices. Some did feel empowered by democracy. By the very expression of gratitude to MacArthur, and treating him like a semi-divine figure, the Japanese writers were denying their empowered status as citizens in a democracy, and treating MacArthur as the one who made peace and prosperity possible in Japan. This leads to the next question: 3. How do you explain the warm, effusive responses from many ordinary Japanese to the American occupational forces? The cultural dimension: it filled a cultural vacuum left by the discredited Japanese government. They were looking for a strong and exalted leader. Despite the paradoxes and problems with the occupation, real social reforms took place(255-67):Women’s equality, suffrage, and election into the Diet. Radio broadcast of political reform; increasing political participation; Land reform; electoral reform; educational reform; The very compliance with the authorities to edit the textbooks suggests a conformity that the American occupation wanted to eliminate from japanese society. Japanese workers took liberalization to heart and started to strike, May 1946. The strikes were for food, higher wages, and jobs.