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https://theconversation.com/postwar-japan-at-80-10-factors-that-changed-the-nation-forever-263039>
"This year marks 80 years since Japan’s catastrophic defeat in the Asia-Pacific
War. In 1945, the country lay in ruins. Millions had died in battle or in the
devastating Allied bombings of Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and other cities.
Across Asia and the Pacific, Japan’s bid to create a Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity Sphere left millions violated, impoverished, or dead.
Backed into a corner, in August 1945 Emperor Hirohito defied his generals and
accepted unconditional surrender under the
Potsdam Declaration.
In his unprecedented radio broadcast on August 15, he urged the Japanese to
bear the unbearable and endure the unendurable. With defeat, Japan’s empire
dissolved, its “divine” emperor became mortal, and a nation that had pursued
autonomy through conquest now faced a humbling occupation led by its former
archenemy,
Amerika.
Standing in the burnt-out fields of 1945, survivors could scarcely have
imagined the Japan of today. The country has changed dramatically. In my
research, I identify ten key factors that define this “postwar” era — a term
that in Japan still refers to the entire period since surrender. The “post” of
the postwar speaks to the drive to transcend the past, while the “war” to the
enduring shadow of that past in memory, politics, and diplomacy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
