Post-war Economy in Japan and China - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... General Douglas MacArthur held the fort of the Supreme Command of Allied Powers (SCAP), thereby commencing the reformation process that was essential for rebuilding the devastated nation (Caprio & Sugita, 2007).
MacArthur endorsed an extensive series of social, political, militaristic and economic reforms that got rid of the feudal society. In 1945, the International Allied Council for Japan, whose creation was essential for assisting the United States, presided over the disbanding of Japan’s naval and military forces (Dower, 2000). Conversely, the Council controlled the dissolution of the colonial empire that was still in existence in Japan. The occupation policy by the Americans was not only essential for demilitarizing the country, but it was vital for destroying the existing conditions that had made Japan into an aggressor country (Dower, 2000). It was necessary for America to destroy these conditions to transform Japan into a democratic and peaceful nation that could not threaten other countries or international peace.
The most apparent changes experienced were political. The political democratization focused on revising the Meiji constitution, leading to the promulgation of a new constitution in 1947 (Dower, 2000). Apart from expanding the electorate to accommodate every adult, including women, the new constitution guaranteed the citizens fundamental political and civil rights. Other guaranteed rights were inclusive of the rights to collective bargaining and the right of labor. Economically, America instituted land reforms, which was an essential consideration that could support the political changes made. The provision took away land from big landowners, thereby distributing the large tracts to the farmers who constituted approximately 50% of the labor force in the country (Dower, 2000). The Japanese inhabitants welcomed the changes implemented. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More