Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II

GHQ stands for the “general headquarters” of the American occupation of Japan (1945-1952) after the Second World War. GHQ ruled Japan and oversaw its transformation from an empire to democracy in the early postwar period. 

Katsutori culture is the response from various underground subcultures to the dismal postwar situation in Japan. This response included sexualization, escapism, and human resilience in the face of adversity. The term comes from a particular kind of drink that was the choice of avant-garde artists “who made the cult out of degeneracy and nihilism” (148).

Keiretsu groups were the large, interconnected companies that arose in postwar Japan. Dower mentions the keiretsu in context of Japan’s economic recovery, in which an industrial boom entailed the economic empowerment of certain corporations (the keiretsu). Though the author compares the keiretsu to zaibatsu (large conglomerates belonging to elite families in prewar Japan), the keiretsu and zaibatsu had crucial differences; for example, the keiretsu distributed power among themselves differently, and members’ familial statuses held less influence.

The Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) was an agreement signed in Paris by 15 nations on the subject of outlawing war. Japan was a signatory but invaded Manchuria three years later. Neither did the Pact prevent the Second World War. Dower discusses the Pact in the context of designing Japan’s new postwar constitution, specifically its anti-war Article 9.

The Meiji Constitution (1890-1947) was Japan’s constitution during the late imperial era and the Second World War. This constitution incorporated certain western principles of political power, while Japan was ruled by an emperor. The Meiji constitution was replaced by a new postwar counterpart, which was initiated by General MacArthur. 

Militarism is an ideology of idealizing the armed forces and, at times, war itself. The official narrative of imperial Japan in the interwar period, and during World War II, was that of militarism. Japan’s transformation from a militarist empire to a peaceful democracy is one of the central themes in this book. 

Whereas colonialism is a method of control of a weaker country through direct military means, neocolonialism is indirect. Neocolonialism measures include economic, cultural, and social hegemonic control of a weaker country for the purpose of political influence or for using its resources. The formal American occupation of Japan between 1945 and 1952 included the features of both types of colonialism.

Panpan is a Japanese term for sex workers. In Dower’s book, sex workers play an important role as part of a complex relationship between the American occupation troops and the Japanese. Dower uses this relationship as a metaphor for the subsequent relationship between Japan and the United States in the international arena.

Potsdam Declaration (July 26, 1945) was an Allied document dictating the terms of Japan’s surrender, such as demilitarization. The document lacked specificity, which created issues during the creation of Japan’s new postwar constitution.

SCAP, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, was the title of General Douglas MacArthur in 1945-1952 at the time of the formal American occupation of Japan. SCAP had far-reaching power.

“Third-country people” refers to the non-ethnic Japanese residents of Japan, including the Koreans, Chinese, and even indigenous Okinawans. These residents often faced prejudice and discrimination. The author mentions “third-country people” in context of the resilience seen in postwar Japan; various subcultures—which Dower situates on the “margins of ‘respectable society’” (122)—were a site of special postwar resilience. The “third-country people” helped comprise those subcultures.

“Total war” refers to the extent of warfare in the 20th century and beyond, especially during the First and Second World Wars. This type of warfare involved not only the military but civilians as well as infrastructure. “Total war” also underscores the industrial size of warfare and destruction during those wars.

Japan’s organized crime syndicate is akin to the mafia. Dower describes the yakuza’s activities in the context of the black markets that arose in the early postwar period and the occasional police inability to enforce laws.