State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience
The remolding of the state from an autocratic to a democratic one in postwar Japan is sometimes regarded as a successful case of external intervention for state-building. When Americans landed in Japan two weeks after Japan's acceptance of unc...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/704191468272998125/State-building-economic-development-and-democracy-the-Japanese-experience http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27507 |
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okr-10986-275072021-04-23T14:04:43Z State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience Tsunekawa, Keiichi Yoshida, Kohei ACCOUNTABILITY ALCOHOLIC CABINET CITIZENS CIVIL SERVANTS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CRIME DEBT DEMOBILIZATION DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES DEMOCRATIC STATE DEPENDENCE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DIET DIPLOMACY DISARMAMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC STATUS ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORAL POLITICS ELECTORATE EXTERNAL INTERVENTION FAMILY MEMBERS FIGHTING FOREIGNERS GOVERNMENT OFFICES GOVERNMENT POLICIES GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENTAL POWER GOVERNORS HOME AFFAIRS IMPERIALISM INDUSTRIALIZATION JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL RIGHTS MARTIAL LAW MASS MEDIA MILITARISM MILITARY LEADERS MINORITY MODERNIZATION NATIONAL PARLIAMENT NATIONAL SECURITY NATIONALISM NUMBER OF PEOPLE OBSERVERS OPINION POLL OPINION SURVEY PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENTARIANS PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM PARTY POLITICS PEACE POLICE POLICE FORCE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL UNREST POLITICIANS POSTWAR YEARS PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIME MINISTER PROCUREMENT PUBLIC OPINION PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY REBEL RECONSTRUCTION REPATRIATION REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES REPRESSION RESPECT REVOLUTION SKILLED WORKERS SOCIAL CONDITION SOCIAL CONDITIONS SOCIAL UNREST SOLDIERS SOVEREIGNTY SUFFRAGE SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY TERRORISM TERRORIST TOTALITARIAN REGIME TRADITIONAL VALUES TREATIES TREATY UNIONS VIOLENCE WAR WARFARE WARS WORLD DEVELOPMENT XENOPHOBIA The remolding of the state from an autocratic to a democratic one in postwar Japan is sometimes regarded as a successful case of external intervention for state-building. When Americans landed in Japan two weeks after Japan's acceptance of unconditional surrender, they expected to meet a fanatic and intransigent people. Instead they were surprised by the orderly and peaceful behavior of Japanese soldiers and citizens (Tamaki 2005, 13-20). Disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, and reintegration (into their home towns/villages) of millions of soldiers proceeded surprisingly smooth between 1945 and 1948. The authoritarian state gave way to a democratic one within two years of the beginning of the American occupation and democracy has persisted since1. And finally, the Japanese economy had already begun to experience high growth when the occupation ended in April 1952. In every respect, American occupation policies seem to have been successful. Against this image of the American occupation in Japan, this paper will argue that American policies were only partially helpful in the democratic remolding and economic development of postwar Japan. The prewar political and economic experiences of the Japanese themselves, and the psychological impact of the defeat, played equally important roles in the democratic rebirth of the Japanese state. Those in search of solutions to the development challenges facing fragile countries today should understand that Japan's 'success' did not begin in 1945 and was not the result of a peace settlement quickly followed by new institutions. The ground work for Japanese success was 80-90 years in the making. Analysis of state-building, economic development and democracy in Japan must start from the Meiji restoration of 1868. 2017-06-30T16:09:40Z 2017-06-30T16:09:40Z 2010-04 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/704191468272998125/State-building-economic-development-and-democracy-the-Japanese-experience http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27507 English en_US World Development Report 2011 Background Papers; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Working Paper Publications & Research East Asia and Pacific Japan |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
ACCOUNTABILITY ALCOHOLIC CABINET CITIZENS CIVIL SERVANTS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CRIME DEBT DEMOBILIZATION DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES DEMOCRATIC STATE DEPENDENCE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DIET DIPLOMACY DISARMAMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC STATUS ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORAL POLITICS ELECTORATE EXTERNAL INTERVENTION FAMILY MEMBERS FIGHTING FOREIGNERS GOVERNMENT OFFICES GOVERNMENT POLICIES GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENTAL POWER GOVERNORS HOME AFFAIRS IMPERIALISM INDUSTRIALIZATION JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL RIGHTS MARTIAL LAW MASS MEDIA MILITARISM MILITARY LEADERS MINORITY MODERNIZATION NATIONAL PARLIAMENT NATIONAL SECURITY NATIONALISM NUMBER OF PEOPLE OBSERVERS OPINION POLL OPINION SURVEY PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENTARIANS PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM PARTY POLITICS PEACE POLICE POLICE FORCE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL UNREST POLITICIANS POSTWAR YEARS PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIME MINISTER PROCUREMENT PUBLIC OPINION PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY REBEL RECONSTRUCTION REPATRIATION REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES REPRESSION RESPECT REVOLUTION SKILLED WORKERS SOCIAL CONDITION SOCIAL CONDITIONS SOCIAL UNREST SOLDIERS SOVEREIGNTY SUFFRAGE SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY TERRORISM TERRORIST TOTALITARIAN REGIME TRADITIONAL VALUES TREATIES TREATY UNIONS VIOLENCE WAR WARFARE WARS WORLD DEVELOPMENT XENOPHOBIA |
| spellingShingle |
ACCOUNTABILITY ALCOHOLIC CABINET CITIZENS CIVIL SERVANTS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CRIME DEBT DEMOBILIZATION DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES DEMOCRATIC STATE DEPENDENCE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DIET DIPLOMACY DISARMAMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC STATUS ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORAL POLITICS ELECTORATE EXTERNAL INTERVENTION FAMILY MEMBERS FIGHTING FOREIGNERS GOVERNMENT OFFICES GOVERNMENT POLICIES GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENTAL POWER GOVERNORS HOME AFFAIRS IMPERIALISM INDUSTRIALIZATION JUSTICE LEADERSHIP LEGAL RIGHTS MARTIAL LAW MASS MEDIA MILITARISM MILITARY LEADERS MINORITY MODERNIZATION NATIONAL PARLIAMENT NATIONAL SECURITY NATIONALISM NUMBER OF PEOPLE OBSERVERS OPINION POLL OPINION SURVEY PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENTARIANS PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM PARTY POLITICS PEACE POLICE POLICE FORCE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL UNREST POLITICIANS POSTWAR YEARS PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIME MINISTER PROCUREMENT PUBLIC OPINION PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY REBEL RECONSTRUCTION REPATRIATION REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES REPRESSION RESPECT REVOLUTION SKILLED WORKERS SOCIAL CONDITION SOCIAL CONDITIONS SOCIAL UNREST SOLDIERS SOVEREIGNTY SUFFRAGE SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY TERRORISM TERRORIST TOTALITARIAN REGIME TRADITIONAL VALUES TREATIES TREATY UNIONS VIOLENCE WAR WARFARE WARS WORLD DEVELOPMENT XENOPHOBIA Tsunekawa, Keiichi Yoshida, Kohei State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| geographic_facet |
East Asia and Pacific Japan |
| relation |
World Development Report 2011 Background Papers; |
| description |
The remolding of the state from an
autocratic to a democratic one in postwar Japan is sometimes
regarded as a successful case of external intervention for
state-building. When Americans landed in Japan two weeks
after Japan's acceptance of unconditional surrender,
they expected to meet a fanatic and intransigent people.
Instead they were surprised by the orderly and peaceful
behavior of Japanese soldiers and citizens (Tamaki 2005,
13-20). Disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, and
reintegration (into their home towns/villages) of millions
of soldiers proceeded surprisingly smooth between 1945 and
1948. The authoritarian state gave way to a democratic one
within two years of the beginning of the American occupation
and democracy has persisted since1. And finally, the
Japanese economy had already begun to experience high growth
when the occupation ended in April 1952. In every respect,
American occupation policies seem to have been successful.
Against this image of the American occupation in Japan, this
paper will argue that American policies were only partially
helpful in the democratic remolding and economic development
of postwar Japan. The prewar political and economic
experiences of the Japanese themselves, and the
psychological impact of the defeat, played equally important
roles in the democratic rebirth of the Japanese state. Those
in search of solutions to the development challenges facing
fragile countries today should understand that Japan's
'success' did not begin in 1945 and was not the
result of a peace settlement quickly followed by new
institutions. The ground work for Japanese success was 80-90
years in the making. Analysis of state-building, economic
development and democracy in Japan must start from the Meiji
restoration of 1868. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Tsunekawa, Keiichi Yoshida, Kohei |
| author_facet |
Tsunekawa, Keiichi Yoshida, Kohei |
| author_sort |
Tsunekawa, Keiichi |
| title |
State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| title_short |
State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| title_full |
State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| title_fullStr |
State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed |
State-Building, Economic Development, and Democracy : The Japanese Experience |
| title_sort |
state-building, economic development, and democracy : the japanese experience |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/704191468272998125/State-building-economic-development-and-democracy-the-Japanese-experience http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27507 |
| _version_ |
1764464865152335872 |