January 10, 2020
By: Reza Kiani Movahed
WW II was finished on 14th August 1945 when Japan surrendered. But this point isn’t completely true. On this day conflicts ended; however, an official peace treaty was signed between allies & Japan just 6 years later on 8th September 1951. Why the peace treaty was signed too late?
The truth is after Japan was defeated, the U.S. didn’t trust Japan & decided to weaken this country and put Japan under pressure to stop the people and politicians. The point that everyone knows is Japan was disqualified from having an army according to the constitution that Americans wrote for Japan. But this point is hidden from the public that Americans demolished almost all of the traditional structures in Japan.
Before WW II some economic trusts named Zaibatsu were the real governors of Japan. The U.S. dissolved zaibatsu after WW II to repress Japanese traditional noblesse & to prevent people from communism. Foundries & shipyards shut & the output of the power plants was reduced critically. Labors were protected by law & they could join the syndicates. Syndicalism was a crime before WW II.
Reforms expanded to agronomy after industrial reformisms. Landholders lost their farms & the large farms were divided between farmers. Then, middle-class people expanded. Some reforms were made in education to protect children against the 'Japanese knighthood spirit'(Bushido in Japanese term). American education replaced the Japanese system & schools became coeducation.
On the other hand, in the 1930s communism was spread in Japan & there was the fear of more spreading of communism after WW II because of the bad economic situation. Chiang Kai-shek's defeat by Mao's communists alarmed the U.S. politicians. In 1948 Secretary Dean Acheson tried to recover the industries & economy of Japan to prevent joining this country to the communist block.
Surprisingly Kim Il Song's invasion of South Korea in June 1950 obsessed Americans more than before. The U.S. & its allies landed their forces on the Korean peninsula to help South Korea with the U.N. permission, but the interference of China ruined the U.S. plans.
American efforts to communism repression in the Far East forced them to ally with their ex-enemy Japan. Far distance between the U.S. & battleground caused their strategists to look for a suitable bridgehead in the Far East as a foothold & that foothold was not except Japan. In that era, Japan was sunk in inflation & dissent with a broken economy. So, in the first step, Americans decided to recover Japan's economy until Japan could stand on its feet. The first negotiations between the U.S. & Japan began in 1950 through John Foster Dulles' initiative & on the next September, Japan & 47 allies signed the treaty of Sun Francisco. On the same day Secretary Dean Acheson & Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru, Japan's prime minister, signed U.S.-Japanese Security Treaty. This pact allowed Americans to hold their troops in Japan & guaranteed to defend Japan. Next year allies left Japan officially, & Japan joined the U.N..
The security pact gave Japan a chance to come back to the Industrial Countries Club. Japan became not only the U.S. ally but also its storage & logistic center in the Far East. The Japanese economic trusts were revived under the new name Keiretsu to start the Japanese recovery. The U.S. Army contracted Japanese industries to supply their troops in Korea. After the beginning of the Korean War in June & July 1950, the trade balance became positive for the first time after WW II. In 1951 Japan's reserves in the American banks exceeded 400 million $.
Korean War affected shipyards & shipping companies directly. Japanese ships brought troops & goods to Korea. Japan had 1546 tones of shipments that could be used for the American campaign. Japanese shipyards revived after the beginning of the Korean War & the first Japanese ship built after WW II berth in New York in February 1951. In March, Japan had 108 ocean liners (630000 tons) & 241 other types of ships (1548000 tons). In this year negotiations began for their fishing rights. In 1951, Japanese fishers gained 4 million tones. Korean War requirements caused Japanese shipyards to recover as soon as possible & Japan became the first country in this field some years later.
Until 1954 Japanese defense industries sold 3 billion $ in goods to the U.S. & 27% of their export belonged to the U.S. 2 years after the beginning of the war Indices of All Industry Activity (1934-36=100) exceeded 144% & grew 5% relative to 1 year ago. Foreign soldiers' peregrination (for rest & medication) in Japan was a foreign exchange source. In 1951 it estimated that American troops spent 297 million $ in Japan.
By the way, we can say that the Korean War was a Marshal Plan for the Japanese. The U.S. agreement to join Japan in the GOTT had the best effect on Japan's economic situation. The Far East, mainly China, was the first market for Japan before WW II. China's joining the communist block caused Japan to lose its chance as the first foreign partner & Japan was forced to find another market. So, the Japanese melted into the global economy. Korean War ended while Japan became the first economic power in the Far East & started its economic miracle.
