The reverse course (1950)

On By bfIn Japan (1912-1990), Uncategorized

The reverse course (1950)

Causes

  • The Cold War and Red Scare – by 1947 the Cold War had officially descended and a ‘Red Scare’ had developed in the US. Winston Churchill and Truman realized Soviet aggression (Iron Curtain speech in 1946 and Truman Doctrine in 1947). Fall of China in 1949 and Sino-Soviet Alliance in 1950 caused Red Scare, The invasion of South Korea by the communist North in June 1950 further proves the spread of communism in China. SCAP was therefore compelled to reevaluate its policies in Japan.
    • Japan needed to be the ideal example of capitalism working
  • Growing Labor Agitation – The granting of additional freedoms to the growing labour movement in Japan in 1948 was a good way to democratize society – so did the policy of breaking up the Zaibatsu corporations. Conservatives in the US and Japan feared that the increase in worker activism was being encouraged by Moscow. “Japan” Crowd in Washington led by former ambassador Joseph Grew viewed SCAP’s reforms as dangerous as they gave too much power to the masses. The turning point came in 1947 with a scheduled general strike for the 1st February organised by JCP/JSP and trade unions. It promised to bring the country to a standstill.
    • Censorship was also prevalent as SCAP prohibited negative commentary about the Occupation and discussion of the atomic bombings. Ironically, SCAP was nurturing democracy, but was itself unaccountable and could and did act arbitrarily, claiming rights and privileges that put its staff above the law. Moreover, the virtual imposition of a democratic constitution on Japan with little consultation or compromise generates doubts about the nature of Japanese democracy that still resonate today. In order to achieve its goals, SCAP sometimes acted outside the law or issued what amounted to edicts in an effort to create a semblance of legality. The suppression of democracy for the sake of democracy proved to be a lasting paradox of the American interregnum
    • “pursued an agenda of both progressive change and reaffirmation of authoritarian structures of government”
  • Conservative Opposition – in 1946, the communists had been organizing strikes against low wages, led by the Sanbetsu union committee. Left workers struggle to purchase food due to the nationwide food shortages → rapid inflation.
    • Conservative Japanese frequently trace many of Japan’s current social problems back to the Occupation. They see women’s legal equality, the end of the patriarchal ie system, educational reforms, the new Emperor system, demilitarization, etc., and a vague process of Americanization as harmful to the Japanese social fabric
    • The Japanese conservative political elite repeatedly warned SCAP that over-zealous reforms of the zaibatsu would play into the hands of the communists by slowing economic recovery and prolonging the suffering of workers. Since the Occupation was indirect, meaning that SCAP depended on the Japanese government for implementing its ambitious agenda of reforms, there was ample opportunity for modifying, vitiating and slowing the pace and extent of reform initiatives. They quickly teamed up with American allies, including some large, influential US corporations that had prewar ties with the zaibatsu and were concerned that their business interests might be adversely affected (Davis, 1997). They lobbied Congress for support, lamenting the ‘left-wing’ inclinations of SCAP and pointing out that busting the zaibatsu would prolong Japan’s dependence on US aid. Thus, the domestic political fallout of the Cold War in the United States resonated strongly in Japan.

Consequences

  • Economy
    • “9 Point Plan” – Joseph Dodge’s ‘9-Point Plan’ for economic austerity had led to an estimated 160,000 jobs losses in the government sector and 330,000 in private
  • Social impact
    • The Subversive Activities Prevention Law – July 1952, the law increased powers to monitor communist activity..
    • “RED PURGE” of communists
  • National Police Reserve’ (NPR) – the creation of a 75,000 member self-defence force authorized by MacArthur in June 1950 → free US troops to fight in Korea
  • the San Francisco Peace Treaty – signed by 48 countries, restored Japanese independence and ended occupation except for Okinawa
  • US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty – allowed the US to have military bases throughout Japan.
  • Suppression of the left – 1948, legislation was introduced to restrict the right of employees in state-owned industries to strike.
  • 1949, Trade Union Law was revised to make political takeovers of unions harder.
    • Escalated on 6th June 1950 JCP newspaper Red Flag carried images of beaten US servicemen and called their attackers heroes.
    • SCAP arrested all JCP Central Committee members and editors of the newspaper
    • Full purge on June 26, a day after the outbreak of the Korean war, Akahata was forced to close indefinitely, and within 3 weeks, 700 communist and left-wing publications had been suspended.
  • Conservatives return to power – the conservative Democratic Liberal Party of Yoshida Shigeru won 44% of the vote in January 1949. Yoshida ‘de-purged’ many accused of war crimes and brought conservative bureaucrats into his government.
  • Economy Recovery –
  • Yoshida’s popularity was boosted by the filip to the economy received by the Korean War. US military procurement spending in Japan totalled over $2.3 billion in industrial and mineral production, rennefited the zaitbasu
  • End to Occupation – the San Francisco Peace Treaty & US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty

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