Wikibooks: Japanese History/The American Occupation of Japan

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: New Zealand; Sakhalin
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese_History/The_American_Occupation_of_Japan

At the end of World War II Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers led by the United States with contributions from Australia India New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power. The San Francisco Peace Treaty signed on September 8 1951 marked the end of the Allied occupation and subsequent to its coming into force on April 28 1952 Japan was once again an independent country. =Post Surrender= On V J Day United States President Harry Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) to supervise the occupation of Japan. During the war the Allied Powers had planned to divide Japan amongst themselves for the purposes of occupation as was done for the occupation of Germany. Under the final plan however SCAP was given direct control over the main islands of Japan (Honshū Hokkaidō Shikoku and Kyūshū) and the immediately surrounding islands while outlying possessions were divided between the Allied Powers as follows Soviet Union North Korea (not a full occupation) Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. United States South Korea (not a full occupation) Okinawa the Amami Islands the Ogasawara Islands and Japanese possessions in Micronesia. China Taiwan and Penghu. It is unclear why the occupation plan was changed. Common theories include the increased power of the United States following development of the atomic bomb Truman s greater distrust of the Soviet Union when compared with Roosevelt and an increased desire to contain Soviet expansion in the Far East after the Yalta Conference. The Soviet Union had some intentions of occupying Hokkaidō. Had this occurred there might have been the foundation of a communist Democratic People s Republic of Japan in the Soviet zone of occupation. However unlike the Soviet occupations of East Germany and North Korea these plans were frustrated by the opposition of President Truman. The Far Eastern Commission and Allied Council For Japan ...