How Did Ww2 Affect The Japanese Economy

Mohamed Awal

Professor Janowsky

English 24

31 May 2018

World War II is considered one of the most destructive and deadliest military conflicts in history. The six year conflict, resulted in the loss of more than 40 million people’s lives, and the destruction of many countries infrastructures. World War II ended in August, 1945 when President Harry Truman ordered first atomic bomb to be dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It resulted in the deaths of more than one-hundred thousand civilians, the destruction of both cities, and the surrender of Japan. It was one of the most transforming events in human history, altering the political map of the world, and establishing new norms and deals between countries(S). Japan more than any

The booming economy can be credited to the transition from government supported economy to a capitalist economy; and to the investments of Japanese government to education. The educated labor force helped the Japanese economy to be more competitive by shifting to heavy industries such as automobile and electronic manufacturing. One of the well-known successful industries is the automobile industry. Although the Japanese automobile companies started manufacturing long before the war began, nevertheless, they never become big until the after the war due to new technological advances provided by the U.S. . Moreover, the Japanese government made trade agreements to export automobiles to the United States. Shortly after, the American companies driven by cheap labor began manufacturing automobile parts in Japan, which introduced Japan to mass production technology. During the Cold War, the Japanese manufacturing sector become the second largest in the world due to the booming automobile industry. Shino Takayama, the Japanese economist, remarked, “In the 1950s, Japanese companies and technicians quickly absorbed technological advances and business models in the western world through imports. Japan’s government implemented industrial policies so that Japan could obtain a comparative advantage in production of the high-value added industries. And export-led growth followed

The changes included removing all forms of censorship on educational textbooks and materials. Moreover, they implemented new curriculums that promote western values; and teachers began teaching about democracy instead of describing the emperor as a divine figure. This rapid development led the Japanese educational system to become one of the best in the world with one of the highest graduation rates. Furthermore, the United States also sought to remove any form of ultra-nationalism from public life, promote individualism, and disestablished Shinto as the state religion. Although the Japanese society disapproved of women being independent and working in male dominated fields, nevertheless, the war caused a shortage of male workers due to their becoming soldiers. This gave Japanese women an opportunity to enter the male workforce, which changed women's roles in the society. Disha Khopkar, writing for the Richmond World Affair Council, relates that, “Japan’s involvement in World War II challenged the traditional expectations of women by increasing industrial jobs. The war revolutionized the lives of Japanese women by employing them in weaving, textile, and silk factories while men were deployed” (Khopkar). As the American historian, John W. Dower, once remarked, “Japan was occupied by victors and subjected to one of the most audacious exercises in social engineering in history”