Episode 189 – Lifting the Lost, Part 7

This week: the social reforms of the Occupation. Economic policy, education policy: it’s like our very own C-SPAN screening!

Listen to the episode here.

Sources

Geldon, Sharon. Molding Japanese Minds.

Dower, John. Embracing Defeat

Pyle, Kenneth. Japan Rising

Images

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An American education mission studies Japanese schools in order to suggest reforms, c. 1946.
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Rice paddies like this one were the primary form of subsistence for tenant farmers who, before the Occupation, were trapped in the lower class due to their renter status.
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A shipment of Japanese silk headed for market in America. Japanese goods were cheap for Americans to buy thanks to the fixed 360 yen: 1 dollar exchange rate.
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During the Meiji period, textiles had been a major source of revenue for Japan. Synthetic fabrics like nylon, being produced here in Tokyo, provided a chance for textiles to once again be the backbone of an economic revival.
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SCAP kept up its image in the states by publishing bulletins describing its advances in reforms.