World at War

[Michael Hardner]

That was probably due to the rather benevolent occupation of Japan. The Japanese actually liked MacArthur.

Maybe - but Japan actually had a relationship with Germany that went back further than WW2. From what I've read, Japan's island setting made its culture initially more suspicious of Europeans, then very interested in engaging with it and learning from its technological advancement.

[DogOnPorch]

Maybe - but Japan actually had a relationship with Germany that went back further than WW2. From what I've read, Japan's island setting made its culture initially more suspicious of Europeans, then very interested in engaging with it and learning from its technological advancement.

Not like they had a choice at that point. They rolled the dice...and lost.

In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success.

---Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

[bush_cheney2004]

The Japanese had a "history" with the U.S. as well. University students in the U.S brought baseball back to Japan before WWI, and it remains quite popular there. Tonight, a Japanese league import will probably close out a Wolrd Series winning Game 6 at Fenway for the Red Sox.

[TimG]

Not like they had a choice at that point. They rolled the dice...and lost.

But the difference is the Japanese collectively acknowledged their mistake and choose to work with the occupiers. I doubt that the US occupation of Japan was more benevolent than the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan but the outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan were a lot of worse. Edited October 31, 2013 by TimG

[Bonam]

But the difference is the Japanese collectively acknowledged their mistake and choose to work with the occupiers. I doubt that the US occupation of Japan was more benevolent than the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan but the outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan were a lot of worse.

Comes down to the pre-existing culture of the occupied more than anything else.

[DogOnPorch]

Comes down to the pre-existing culture of the occupied more than anything else.

It's more than that. Truman changed the conditions of the occupation...no Soviets allowed in Japan proper. The Japanese were VERY relieved. Plus, MacArthur made sure the Japanese were fed as well as possible and took no punitive measures against them. But the clincher was the wide distribution of this photo...

...showing the Emperor and MacArthur together (Douglas w/o a tie) that affected the Japanese people the most. Various calls for Hirohito to abdicate from inside Japan as well as out were staunchly rejected by MacArthur. Folks started viewing him as divine on the same level as the Emperor...plus a friend rather than an enemy. A picture IS worth a 1000 words at times...

[jbg]

The point remains the same. The A-bomb did not permanently alienate the Japanese people from the U.S.