The “American Years” in Japan and the Appropriateness of the “Reverse Course”

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The “American Years” in Japan and the Appropriateness of the “Reverse Course”
James Fallows’ account of the “American years” in Japan suggests that the “reverse course” substantially undermined the democratic reforms initiated in the early years of the occupation. However, not everyone is convinced of this and some argue that the reverse course actually saved the occupation reforms. Over the next several pages, it will be maintained that the “reverse course” was desirable because it allowed for limited reforms in the areas of militarism and egalitarianism even if it apparently sacrificed individual liberties. In general, had things not been changed, it is quite possible that the Japanese Communist Party would have seized upon...

.....upation reforms in a time when Japan was still trying to recover economically from the devastation of the Second World War. Had there been no change in policy, the Americans would surely have ended up taking the blame for the general diminished living standards; likewise, the communists would have gained more power – and this might well have led to a marked deterioration of any liberal gains secured after the war.
Works Cited
Fallows, James. Looking at the Sun: The Rise of the New East Asian Economic and Political System. New York: Pantheon, 1994.
Lee, Yong Wook. “The origin of one-party domination: America’s reverse course and the emergence of the Liberal Democratic party in Japan.” Journal of East Asian Affairs XVIII, no.2(2004): 371-413.