The Making of an Ally

This book analyzes the complex history of U.S.-Japanese relations after World War II. Archenemies before the Pacific War (1941-45), the two nations embraced a peculiarly symbiotic relationship during the American occupation of Japan (1945-51). From the drafting of the Japanese Constitution to the Security Treaties and the long-term stationing of American troops, the influence of the U.S. can be seen and felt in many aspects of Japanese political and everyday life. That there was and continues to be widespread opposition and protest by the people against this influence is not so well-known, nor are the many other ramifications of American influence on Japanese society, such as disorientation and a surge of nationalism and historical revisionism. This book wants to shed some light on the question of how and to what extent U.S. politics have contributed to the making of contemporary Japan by drawing both on literature by leading experts on Japan as well as on The Japan Times, the country's largest English newspaper, whose articles through time (1945-today) are used to illustrate the ups and downs that U.S.-Japanese relations have undergone. This book wants to provide both an historical overview as well as an insight into Japanese politics and society today in order to demonstrate the extent to which the U.S. have indeed shaped, or re-shaped Japan.