Japanese Reverse Course Policy Flashcards
Demilitarise armed forces (punish and reform)
1945
(Reverse course policy)
Rearmed Japan under US control (75,000 national police reserve, increased in 1952) but only for self defence
US maintained military bases in Okinoua, heavily involved in Japan, bilateral security
US had the right to veto Japan offering other countries military bases
US policy up till 1954 was driven by the threat of Korea and communism
Economic asset to Japan
Establish democracy
1945
(Limited change)
Limited democracy which should provide stablility
Prevent future Japanese aggression
Limited change
Prevent future Japanese aggression- limited power
Reliable partner in Asia
Break up the Zaribatsu
(Industrial giants)
(Reverse policy)
Maintain the Zaribatsu to keep Japan economically sound to contain communism
Why adopt a reverse course policy???
- 1945-1949 the USSR expanded its influence in Eastern Europe (rigged elections in Poland 1947 and Bulgaria, Salami tactic in Hungary)
- Growing belief in need for containment e.g Riga axioms, Long telegram, Iron Curtain Speech, Truman Doctrine and Cominform (balance of power restored)
- 1949 USSR detonated atomic bomb
- June 1950 China became communist
Why was Japanese recovery so important to the US
Japanese recovery was seen by the US as an essential power base in Asia
Instead of focusing on reparations and punishment the US wanted to develop democracy and practises that would go towards economic reconstruction and political stability- so what happened to Germany after WWI won’t happen to Japan
Not susceptible to extremist views and remained in line with US
What was GATT and why did the US want Japan to be apart of it
GATT = General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to minimise tariffs and duties to maximise international trade
- Strengthen Japan’s access to Western trade
- Prevent trade with communist China in late 1950’s
Japan had a significant geopolitical placement to the USA
- In February 1950 communist China’s leader Mao Zedong formed a military alliance with the USSR
- In November China joined the Korean war on the side of North Korea
- This involvement lead to the globalisation of containment and an increase in commitment on the USA’s part to see its role as the global policemen
Relations between US and Japan
- Japan was crucial in the USA’s quest for containment in the far east
- Japanese P.M Shigeru Yoshida saw an opportunity to negotiate a WWII peace treaty with the US to restore their sovereignty and provide security
In return of the US restoring Japan’s sovereignty and provide security…
- In return acceptance of US troops on Japanese territory (USA chief negotiator = John Foster Dulles)
= John Dulles saw the USA as strategically and ideologically expansionist
= Strategy called ‘rollback’ which was a policy aimed at taking the offensive against communism rather than just containing it
The San Francisco peace treaty
September 1951
- Between Japan and allied powers
- Remarkable because of its brevity (concise) and its limitations
- Resolve relations where the nations are sovereign equals
= Cooperate in friendly association to promote their common welfare and to maintain peace + security
The San Francisco treaty (Sept 1951) did not…
- Place significant restrictions on Japan’s economy
- Place significant restrictions on its future political model
- Identify Japan’s responsibility for the war
- Restrict Japans future rearmament
- Impose reparation payments for those South-East Asian states occupied by Japan
The San Francisco Treaty (Sept 1951)
Did…
- Recognise the full sovereignty of Japanese people
- Force Japan to renounce (declare abandonment) any claims to a range of neighbouring countries/ territories eg Korea and Formosa (Taiwan)
In return of the San Francisco treaty, the USA required Japan to sign a bilateral security agreement (US-Japan security Treaty 1951) gave the USA…
- Unrestricted use of military bases in Japan
- Administrative control of Okinawa
- Right to use military force to intervene in any internal disorder in Japan
- Right to veto Japan offering military bases to other states
American and Japanese aid, reparations and trade
- Significant trade developed with the US particularly in agricultural commodities and technology
- American aid played a large role in Japan’s recovery
- Americans spent approximately $4,000 million on Japanese goods and services
= Reparations were mostly in the form of goods and services
