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Japan

Japan. Japan: the basics. Area Germany < Japan < California Population 127 million (~ 4 times California ’ s) life expectancy: 84 (87 for female) 24% are 65 or above constitutional monarchy. Japan in history. Oldest continuous monarchy feudal rule under shogun (1192 - 1867)

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Japan

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  1. Japan

  2. Japan: the basics • Area • Germany < Japan < California • Population • 127 million (~ 4 times California’s) • life expectancy: 84 (87 for female) • 24% are 65 or above • constitutional monarchy

  3. Japan in history • Oldest continuous monarchy • feudal rule under shogun (1192 - 1867) • U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry • forced Japan to open to trade (1853) • Meiji Restoration (1868) • centralized government under Emperor • industrialization and trade

  4. Japan in World War II • Invasion and annexation of Northeast China (Manchuria) (1931-1932) • full-scale aggression in China (1937-1940) • alliance with Nazi and fascists (1940) • Pacific War (1941-1945) • every country and colony in East and Southeast Asia was invaded

  5. The Occupation • 1945 - 1952 • Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) - General Douglas MacArthur • Two main tasks: • demilitarization • democratization

  6. Demilitarization • Purged almost all wartime officers and politicians • Disbanded almost all militaristic associations and parties • Prosecuted almost all war criminals • The issue of Yasukuni Shrine • Dismantled almost all war industries

  7. War Criminals • Yasukuni Shrine was built in Meiji 2 (1869) • Japan’s Pacific War criminals have been worshiped in it since 1978 • Strong protests from other Asian countries

  8. The "Peace Clause" • Article 9 in the 1947 constitution: • “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes • “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained”

  9. Korean War (1950 - 1953) • Economic turning point for Japan: • war supplies to Korea • industrial resurgence • foreign currency • 1945 - 1950 growth rate: 9.4% • 1950 - 1955 growth rate: 10.9% • 1952 Japan’s GDP matched prewar high

  10. Korean War (1950 - 1953) • Political turning point for Japan • U.S. started to regard Japan as a vital link in the “arc of containment” against communism • Demilitarization gave way to reconstituting a military force • Self-Defense Force

  11. U.S. Strategic Change • General peace treaty in San Francisco in September 1951 • China and Soviet Union were excluded • formally ended the Occupation in 1952 • U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty • U.S. troops and military base in Japan

  12. “Arc of Containment”

  13. Japan’s Economic Growth

  14. High Growth of 1955-1962 • Large investment in heavy industry • Imports of energy and raw materials • Government’s economic goals: • achieve economic self-sufficiency • achieve full employment • improve export competitiveness • keep domestic demand high

  15. High Growth of 1963-1973 • Government’s “doubling income” plan • Large-scale infrastructure construction • Labor-intensive to capital-intensive • Technological improvement and facility modernization under government protection • Aggressive export strategy • Businesses compete with foreign counterparts under government protection

  16. Bubble burst

  17. More shocks in 1990s • Large and rising government deficit and public debt (now more than 200% of GDP) • Aging population (median age now at 45) • Banking crises and non-performing loans • Asian financial crisis (1997-1998) • “Hollowing out” of industry • Natural disasters and terrorist attacks

  18. Suggested Readings • Japanese Prime Minister’s website: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html • Journals in the UM library: • Japan Echo • Japan Quarterly • Books and videos in the UM library

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