H199 Gary Allinson, Ch. 2 "Revival"

Opens with the image of "yaki-nohara" or the "burnt out fields, all the way down to rubble."

Tokyo's population had been reduced from 7 million to 3 million; Osaka's dropped from 3 million down to just 1 million.

It took until the 1950s for the urban population of Japan return to 1940s levels.

The need for Housing, for basic shelter, and for Food was unimaginably strong.

Between 1944 and 1945 4 million homes had been lost. Some by other means but 2.5 millions directly destroyed by Air Raids.

Familes were sleeping in Subway Tunnels, abandoned Trollyy Cars and Buses, Caves and holes or craters in the ground with a tarp to cover it.

Old abandoned buildings would house 4-5 people to a room

With all the destruction, there was a backlog of construction needs but since all budget funds had gone to Military Expenses during the War, the backlog was even greater.

Shelter was a real challenge to find but Food was even scarcer!

Paddy fields for growing rice had been reduced by 10%. US did step up with Food Aid but it came in the form of Ground corn--which did not really fit well with the Japaense Diet. Families had to spend 60-70% of their monthly income on Food.

Factories had also been destroyed so there was nowhere to work. Some 2 milion Japanese were Unemployed. Also, being denied access to External markets, they could not get Raw Materials to Process into Goods to sell abroad in order to earn Foreign Exchange.

REFORMS

Obviously, early Postwar Purges were significant but the later REVERSE COURSE pushed the transformation of Japan from enemy into Anti-Communist Ally.

1st Purge intended get rid of people who supported the War Effort:

Former Thought Police, Ministry of Interior Censors

Religious Officials

Imperial Rulle Assistance Association members

Career Military Officers and formeer civilian bureaucrats

28 were tried for War Crimes and sentenced to Death by Hanging

3,000 private firms in Finance, Commerce, Industry, Media, and Zaibatsu Officials identified and purged.

Some 300,000 National Politicians also purged and national civil Servants from Army, Navy, and Home Affairs Ministry singled out.

Specific Reform Efforts

Land Reform with the aim of eliminating Tenancy

Labor Reforms with an eye to support Unions and Union building

Deconcentration in the Economy by Dismantling Zaibatsu

Educational Reforms -- getting rid of the Moral or shushin courses and all the Patriotic/Nationalistic Materials in the Curriculum

Put in American style 6-3-3-4 system

New Constitution - incredible, improbable story of how Voting Rights, Women's Rights, Press and Religious Freedoms, and Article 9 Peace Proviusion Reouncing War and the Right of Belligerancy = were all enshrined in the Constitution

And Provincial and Local Level Political Reforms

RECOVERY

Much of what we saw in "Reinventing Japan" video about George Kennan coming to Japan and talking up the need to build up the Economy, Create the Self Defense Forces, and Slow Down or Cease all the Reform Efforts; then Kennan was followed by Draper, then Dodge and his deflationary policies, the Dodge Line

But it was really the Korean War in 1950 and the "Procurement Boom"--the gift from the gods--that really saved the day.

Some $3 Billion pumped into Japanese economy for Steel, Shipbuilding, Cars, Trucks, Munitions, etc.