Economic Reforms in Japan during the American Occupation (1945-1952)

The bachelor thesis “Economic Reforms in Japan during the American Occupation (1945-1952)” analyses the process of the occupation of Japan during the years 1945-1952. Its objective is to evaluate the success of the reforms from the perspective of social and economic stabilization of Japan.Was the process of the occupation successful? Should only the American side be credited for the result, or was it rather a collective success? What was the role of the first post-war Japanese government in the process of creating a modern democratic Japan? Were the applied reforms appropriate solutions? The aim of this thesis is to answer these questions. To understand the post-war situation of Japan, this work first explains the state of Japanese economy during World War II. This state is taken as a default point for the post-war reconstruction. In the following part, the thesis explains the formation and the appearance of the antebellum administration. Then all the important actors of the process are introduced and the relationships between them are defined. Both sides had to overcome many obstacles on the way to mutual cooperation. That is why this work describes the first steps of the occupation forces and the means they used to gain the trust both government and of the local people. Finally, individual reforms and their impact on the socio-economic stabilization of the situation are analysed, with the biggest focus being on the agricultural reform.During my research I concluded that the occupation can be considered a success both from the American and the Japanese point of view. These two nations, previously sworn enemies in the war, established a close alliance and mutually beneficial relations and in the following decades Japan became an economic force to be reckoned with and an internationally recognised power.