How American Occupation Changed Japanese Culture

[@TheColdWarTV]

We enjoyed Bokksu and hope you will too: ​Get 10% off (save up to $47!) your own authentic Japanese snack box from Bokksu using my link: bit.ly/3b534X0 and code COLDWAR10

[@pyeitme508]

Wow

[@DavidKutzler]

My daughter had a trip to Japan scheduled but had to cancel due to COVID. As a consolation, I sent her a three-month Bokksu subscription. She loved it!

[@lostinvictory8526]

Your bell button pressing metaphors always have me laughing, very clever.

[@grobe850]

Impressive endeavor attempting to illustrate the Cold War. Since most Cold War era events are complex and heavily debated I recommend including your research sources. This will allow your viewers to dive deeper into the historiography.

[@lucinae8512]

Just as this video started, my first Bokksu came in!

[@Mondo762]

I was born in Japan (Tachikawa AFB) during the last year of the Occupation, 1951. As a young Merchant Marine officer I came back in 1972. What a huge difference that 21 years made. I learned this from the many photos and stories my father told of his time there. Comparing that to what I saw as an adult was impressive. They certainly came a long way.

[@JTA1961]

Hand up or hand out. Something seem we (US) has gotten mixed up

[@misterbig9025]

You are 70 years old Sir

[@jaidynweight5394]

Wow. Can we please see these photos??!

[@Mondo762]

@@misterbig9025 I'll be 70 later this month (September). Thanks for noticing.

[@misterbig9025]

@@Mondo762 You're welcome Sir

[@thomasglynn9651]

Trying to explain how the murder of some Austrian archduke led to hentai. I can now show this video

[@ericbooth3393]

@@whathell6t What is up with the fascination grown ass men have with these cringe cartoons?

[@whathell6t]

@@ericbooth3393 Are you being serious or joking with that question?

[@ericbooth3393]

@@whathell6t I’m dead serious I don’t get how a 30 year old man could have Pokemon or Yugioh posters in his bedroom lmao

[@whathell6t]

@@ericbooth3393 Because it's fun. It's simple as that. In fact, most those men and women are sharing their joy of Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, Bakugan, or other starters to their children. Or do you want an empirical market answer. The answer I gave you was a heuristic paradigm answer. If you're triggered over adults watching animation, then I going to assume you're triggered over the Simpsons, South Park, Rick & Morty, Venture Bros, Gorillaz, etc.

[@ericbooth3393]

@@whathell6t I’m not triggered about it but I think the love of anime just speaks to the overall immaturity of millennial’s and Gen Z. Spending your spare time watching a cheesy Japanese cartoon with terrible voice acting, exaggerated appearances, cringe animation and basing your entire personality on the cartoons you watch as a grown adult just baffles me. Weaboo’s are a plague upon society lmao. Yes I also believe grown ass adults should not be watching Rick and Morty, or any other cartoon either. Why? Because I believe adults should be working towards creating a better world instead of living in a fantasy land. You specifically are on this history channel so I respect that but plenty of Weebs couldn’t tell you anything about history but they’ll tell you all about the storyline of pokemon. It’s cringe. But that’s just my opinion.

[@adrianjorgensen3750]

As an Canadian living in Japan for 7 years I feel obligated to inform you that while Japan has wonderful hamburgers, I’ve yet to find an actual hot dog.

[@faekz]

But ファミチキ is amazing! I love that stuff. Plus so cheap.

[@cranes2009]

Can’t agree more. The only decent hot dogs here in Japan are Costco hot dogs, not gonna lie.

[@JayFLee1]

Mos Burger Japan has no hotdogs?

[@robertewalt7789]

Years ago, I went to baseball games in Tokyo. The “hot dogs” were fishy!

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

Probably a good thing.

[@deathdoor]

It's not surprise that there was "no resistance" to the changes after the war because much of those social changes weren't new for the japanese. In the 1920-1930 western culture was strong in the cities, and after the war the people were tired of the military dictatorship and embraced democracy, again, and the new liberties in the the constitution. Despite all the great changes those ideas weren't that new and unheard of to the japanese, it's more like they were finally allowed to have it, IMO.

[@deadby15]

Very true. Actually the relative ease to democratize the former Axis nations blinded the US and gave it the misconception that it is easy to instill democracy to undemocratic societies. What the Cold War era US missed was, all these Axis nations once had more or less functioning democracy, and the populace did miss it, especially after experiencing the terrible fascist regimes.

[@deathdoor]

@@deadby15 "blinded murrica and gave it a misconception that is easy to install democracy to undemocratic societies" You don't have idea how mad I am reading this! Astounding display of historical ignorance! Murrica was the worst enemy of democratic societies since before the second world war! Is still right now sabotaging countries and promoting violent regime changes siding with fascists and helping genocide!

[@Earth-ct6um]

​@@deathdoor what genocides has the U.S helped in?

[@deathdoor]

@@Earth-ct6um Even the earth is a flat earther it seems, we are all doomed!

[@Earth-ct6um]

@@deathdoor I'm not a flat earther why you assume that?

[@Marinealver]

Japanese Comics, once you step over a certain line there is no going back.

[@Joshua_N-A]

Just one manga can outsell both Marvel and DC and comic book stores keep restocking mangas because the shelves keep getting empty.

[@kasrkin100]

Me from different timeline: what anime/manga the Disney also not exist

[@angelusvastator1297]

All fiction should be in manga/graphic novel format imo.

[@dog_boy5123]

I still don't get the excitement of it but then again I don't read that much

[@KardasheviteUltravisionary]

*Coughs in Evangelion*

[@zainmudassir2964]

Now Japanese culture is changing US with influences of Anime on western Animation from art style to storytelling with long story arcs and more acceptance of violence and 'fanservice' on TV shows

[@Joshua_N-A]

Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia outsells DC and Marvel I heard. That's because Japan knows how to do a story.

[@mitonaarea5856]

@@Joshua_N-A nah it's because manga is cheap, far cheaper than US comics. Also they are more easier to understand bc it usually has a start and finish. Now us comics don't have the habit of completely finishing a story. US comics are always recycling the same story.

[@PumppActionPete]

@@mitonaarea5856 Yep, cape stories follow the complete clusterfuck process of having different artists and writers every few months/years which means HUGE changes to style and story. As an old comic fan, It's such a pain in the ass to keep up with it.

[@golucid745]

@@Joshua_N-A Really? Some say that older anime was better and that a lot of anime today is too recycled.

[@disunityholychaos7523]

im american and cant be proud to drive my parent's always buying honda cars to Uniclo jacket i got in disney...

[@karoltakisobie6638]

There were great many fantastic films made in Japan in 45-65 period. Too bad very few of them were ever translated or transferred VHS,never mind digital format. I wish Japanese film distributors would bring them to wider world.

[@percamihai-marco7157]

For old movies, you can search on The Criterion Channel

[@trizvanov]

@@percamihai-marco7157 Not available outside of the United States, sadly. Mobi, a curated list of art cinema is the closest we can get here.

[@canman5060]

Great movies from Japan during that period showing the complexity of human conditions.Very deeply penetrating and absorbing.Some of them have subtitled. Roshman 1950 is one of them.

[@percamihai-marco7157]

@@trizvanov you can try with a free vpn

[@trizvanov]

@@percamihai-marco7157 I have. Latency is a killer.

[@BOS_C.O.]

I always find it funny how just as there's American weebs for Japanese Culture there is Japanese weebs for American culture

[@Duke_of_Prunes]

There was a video on KZbin a while back about the Japanese emulating the So Cal "Cholo" culture! Absolutely amazing.

[@StreetDrilla]

@@Duke_of_Prunes send video!!! i gotta see vagos-japanese crossover

[@MustacheDLuffy]

There is there definitely is

[@captainvalourous6668]

"Japanese weebs for American Culture" Does JJBA count? 😅

[@MustacheDLuffy]

@@captainvalourous6668 maybe

[@AsiniusNaso]

The tumultuous post-war period also saw the rise of the black market and yakuza in Japan, as it was impossible to live on the allotted rations during the immediate post-war peace. The emerging yakuza helped fill the gap, and continue to play a role in Japan’s criminal informal economy.

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

Did the yakuza got their seed capital selling leftover stock of Philipon brand meth to postwar workers? Then did they blew it all later during the property bubbles of the 90's that they are being left so far behind they could go extinct in our generation?

[@CirBam24]

Japan: *THE MACHINE GOD LIVES!*

[@gameoflife9576]

Praise the Omnissah!

[@whathell6t]

@POWAH! POWER! Heisei Godzilla: “Machine God? I think I will test his might.”

[@flying0possum]

69 like

[@psyOmicron]

Heed the machine spirits' guidance

[@diegotapia2830]

praise be the OMNISSIAH and his machine gifts!!!!

[@lorensims4846]

I first became fascinated with Japanese culture in the mid-'80s when they were said to be poised to buy up everything. That didn't last long as the Japanese economy got stuck in a decades long slump. But I was hooked. That was a very nice overview of Japanese westernization that I haven't seen the likes of before. I still struggle to imagine what it must have been like for them. I certainly look forward to hearing more about it from you.

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

I learned a lot. Wasn't expecting that we would have had a positive impact.

[@papabear90]

The Japanese economy went through decades of stagnation due to aggressive US policies such as the plaza accord to kill their currency, export economy, and tech leadership.

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

@@papabear90 Obvious Russian government propaganda worker is obvious.

[@Emilechen]

@@papabear90 you are right, since Japan is under US military occupation, inposiboe tot resist, to be fair, no country in the World has the ability to resist to US hegemony, Japan fails, USSR fails, European Ubiin fails, finally except China,

[@papabear90]

@@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music did this guy really just call me Russian? What an ignorant silly person.

[@WayOutGaming]

Fun fact! The game company Sega actually started (at least partually) as a US company that serviced US bases overseas, primarily (if not exclusively) in Japan, with slot machines and mechanical games in the late 40s and early 50s.

[@ankokunokayoubi]

It stands for "Service Games" then abbriviated into Sega

[@reco5able]

the thing that still shock how japan post culture took rock and roll with stride and the burger

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Yeah as a guy who watch anime so many rock song in Op and Ed ain't complaining one of my favorites recently is form "those snow white note" op 👍👏

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

There's a saying that we wrote their constitution but they didn't really understand it, but as a music person I definitely agree that music they get. And I'm very impressed with what they've done with it.

[@jackperson3626]

Thanks!

[@vasilerogojan4520]

I'm still wainting for the eventual episode about the Novocherkassk massacre that happened in 1962 in the USSR.

[@TheColdWarTV]

patience will be rewarded

[@vasilerogojan4520]

@@TheColdWarTV Thanks for the response.

[@asgarihanif]

@@vasilerogojan4520 this aged amazingly

[@chaoscontroller316]

@@asgarihanif You love to see it.

[@gojo76]

Every video about Japan is welcomed , thank you

[@mitonaarea5856]

Ofc, you are a weeb.

[@gojo76]

@@mitonaarea5856 i see no problem with that xd

[@mitonaarea5856]

@@gojo76 the definition of a weeb is someone who is obsessed with Japan and values more Japan's culture than it's own culture. I wouldn't say that that's a good thing, but if you think that's good, well good for you.

[@gojo76]

@@mitonaarea5856 Hm , still no problem to me

[@jackthorton10]

A flame war averted thank god

[@fratercontenduntocculta8161]

I really enjoy how both modern and traditional are handled in Japan. It's sad to see the population decline, but I don't see it as a long term problem just a temporary setback. Never change Japan, the rest of the world loves and admires you!

[@Kyo0]

"Never change Japan" is maybe one of the most naive things I've ever heard in my entire life. There's positives and negatives to every culture without exception. And you picked the one with negatives too strong to ignore to ask to "never change"... Take a visit there. Spend some time comparing cultural norms, compare the world views between citizens. Maybe then you'll be mentally equipped to talk about something like this. Disappointing

[@tanmaynegi3169]

@@Kyo0 What you've said is true, but I think the OP meant using the phrase in a positive sense. It's obvious that every culture has some problems, and for Japan, there are many important ones that they need to fix, but there also also many aspects which the country nails in succeeding.

[@shotakonkin2047]

@@tanmaynegi3169 It wasn't until 2014 they finally issued a ban on both the production and selling of adult content containing children in them, during that people who make anime for a living of certain genres fought to keep anything none-videography or non-photography under freedom of expression laws which is why those anime genres aren't illegal in the country. They've fixed that said issue however there's many cultural flaws that needs to be fixed such as views around mental illnesses, autistic children is a very sensitive topic in Japan for example.

[@tanmaynegi3169]

@@shotakonkin2047 I agree, and I was well aware of how they didn't ban what you've mentioned until relatively recently, but even the punishment of possession of that stuff is comparatively lax, seeing how some I've seen some mangakas who were convicted for that crime, but came out either with some fine, and/or a small jail sentence(iirc), so obviously some more fixing is needed(same can go for the judicial system). To add, views on mental health and it's related issues saldy basically kinda sucks everywhere in Asia as far as I'm aware, so that's something everyone has to work towards to correct. [Edit:- added "and/" and changd "possetof" to "possesion of"]

[@Rokaize]

@@tanmaynegi3169 The problem is the OP’s comment is similar to a lot of Japan obsession you see on the internet. As if it’s some perfect utopia. I’m sure Japan is great. I’ve met a few of them living in America and they are wonderful. But Japan just like any other nation has serious flaws. One commenter mentioned numerous things. Another would be the extremely high suicide rate. Where simply losing your job or failing to make a promotion can lead one to commit suicide. There is an entire forest known for this phenomenon. And Japan is such a rigidity reserved culture that discussions around suicide and suicide prevention aren’t discussed nearly enough. A lot of these flaws get pushed to the side because most people when they speak of Japan are just gushing about how great it is.

[@jwh0122]

4:58 constitution 6:43 power shift (emperor -> people) 6:54 economy and agriculture 7:14 education 7:42 family 8:08 religion 9:41 culture

[@laurachristianson1688]

My parents met during the post war occupation period (1948) …my mother the daughter of a government worker (my grandmother) and my dad an army guy. I have so many pictures and memorabilia from their time over there, and the many stories they told me.

[@karenk2409]

Please preserve those stories for your descendants!

[@LegoLordPro]

Finally, were getting to know some concrete history about Japan after World War 2. These videos explain their history a whole lot better than the videos that I found which tend to be outdated at this point.

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

The history got outdated?

[@LegoLordPro]

@@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music with the ones that I found, they were made in the past and this video had given a clear and a more informal understanding of Japan after WW2

[@pbosustow]

I'd always assumed the occupiers introduced baseball to the Japanese. I was surprised to learn that the game had a rich history there before the war.

[@alukuhito]

There were a lot of western influences in Japan, including Christianity. It's ironic that the US bombed Nagasaki, which traditionally was the most welcoming of western ideas and goods than any other part of the country, and not only that, but the bomb dropped right by a Christian church.

[@Rokaize]

@@alukuhito I mean. It’s a war. You drop bombs on whatever you need to to accomplish your objective. I doubt the bomb dropping near the church was intentional.

[@karenk2409]

Absolutely! When I was there as a kid in the 1960s, my mother would sponsor Japanese schoolboys onto the base to play baseball with my brothers in the park next to our Washington Heights house. They spoke fluent "baseball"!

[@karenk2409]

When I was a kid living in Japan in the early 60s, my mother used to call in a bunch of Japanese schoolboys to play baseball with my brothers on base. I have home videos of this! They all spoke Baseball.

[@Frisbieinstein]

Baseball showed up in about 1890. It became a big deal in 1920 when Yokohama decided to beat the foreigners in their own game. There are many baseball diamonds in the flood plains next to the rivers.

[@josedavidgarcesceballos7]

Okinawa deserves its own episode, just saying.

[@theawesomeman9821]

yes! My mom was raised on the US base there

[@ghowdp]

Free Ryukyu!

[@anandakang]

Agreed, their post war occupation situation was very different from the rest of Japan, being the only territory of the home islands that was directly occupied by the US.

[@ghowdp]

@@anandakang Okinawa is not among Japan's home islands as the people living there are not ethnically Japanese.

[@val8730]

@@ghowdp balkanized entire china. Freedom for all!

[@amanshukla8758]

You should also focus on Hayato Ikeda, the man who was responsible for the 1955 system that changed Japan's economy forever and caused the Japanese economic miracle.

[@shiveshsingh3169]

@پیاده نظام خان Also Japanese planning, and economic shadiness XD

[@nos8141]

These reply sound clueless.just simple statement...or something else

[@karenk2409]

Absolutely! He and Prime Minister Yoshida, who worked with Gen. MacArthur to rewrite the Japanese constitution and end the feudal system in Japan, deserve huge credit for bringing their country into the modern world as a major player.

[@kn2549]

Fun fact: Cannabis usage was completely legal in Japan until the US forcibly made it illegal during the occupation. Also, civilian firearm rights were ALOT more loose before the US implemented strict firearm laws during the demilitarization process. Its ironic because these two things are the topic that I often hear American liberals and conservatives criticize Japan on.

[@karenk2409]

Context.

[@kn2549]

@@karenk2409 Cannabis is heavily associated with Shintoism since ancient times and it was used in a wide range by the people. Its main usage was for clothing, rope making, using the seeds for seasoning, and making religious artifacts. Extracting oil from cannabis was more of a new thing that was started after Japan’s modernization in 1865. Among some peasants and farmers, smoking for medical or recreational purpose came after all of the plant’s needs was fully used. Nonetheless, it was an extremely vital source for Japanese people due to its country lacking in natural resources. The Americans somehow saw this as tied to Japanese “nationalism” due to its connection with Shintoism, and labeled 大麻(cannabis) as an illegal drug. Japanese people were shocked by this since many people relied on cannabis for their living and smoking them was considered to be something secondary. As for firearms….since Japan’s introduction to western rifles in the 16th century, it was fairly common among civilians to own firearms for hunting and keeping wild animals away from farms. Firearms for self protection(用心鉄砲) was also allowed to some degree. Even during the Edo period, there were some provinces that had civilians owning firearms more than the ruling samurai class did. It was mostly kept this way after Japan’s modernization with a minor restriction. The restriction was a categorization of military issued rifles and civilian rifles. Rifles that were no longer in service by the military and hunting rifles that were allowed by civilians. Murata rifles(Japan’s first made bolt action rifles) were sometimes converted into shotguns and were widely popular among Matagi hunters and Ainus. Whats interesting is that during this time, the average mailman were required to carry a handgun during their work for protection. This all changed due to the “demilitarization” process during the American occupation. Civilian firearms and swords were to be confiscated even though they werent really for military usage.

[@AllAboutMMA]

They were probavly scared of japanese people owning guns

[@Asnerlicious]

Hmmmm... so they became productive after cannabis was illegalized? Whatchu tryna say?

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Well I criticize the people that enforced those strict firearms laws and for not including a right to keep and bear arms in the Japanese Constitution. I am also of the belief that it's long since due for Japan to alter its Constitution to delete Article 9 and include a right to keep and bear arms equivalent to that which US citizens enjoy.

[@jameswyre6480]

My grandfather was in every US war and occupation from 1944-1950s ending up in macv Saigon before US troops were heavily involved. He rebuilt bridges in Japan in particular after starting by building them under fire for Patton. The first engineers he called for in Japan thought they were being called to be executed and only one scared one showed up. He had very good relations with locals and quickly established that he was not there to do what the IJA might have been doing in their occupations. My half uncle was born in Osaka. Great show!

[@karenk2409]

I hope you have preserved his stories!

[@joeb7373]

Cold War era Sci-Fi movies would be a good subject. Most were metaphors for us vs. them.

[@RileyWritey]

Currently doing an exam on this topic as part of my final year for a history degree, it's immensely helpful so thank you!

[@karenk2409]

Kudos to you, Bradley! I'm writing a dissertation on aspects of post-occupation Japan. It's a great focus for study.

[@Mrgunsngear]

thanks

[@marcustulliuscicero.5856]

Love to 🇯🇵 from the🇺🇸

[@jimmyyu2184]

OMG, OMG, OMG, this IS THE Dr. Thomas Sowell?!!? 😊 I love your work/writing.

[@njez7563]

-999999999999999999 social credit points

[@marcustulliuscicero.5856]

@Khartikeyen Satheraman if I had the ability and authority to give you one I would

[@andrerothweiler9191]

Lmao still would be fucked up if a country was nuked twice. They could nuke mountain or so

[@dunzhen]

@@njez7563 Ya'll love Japan, one, for their genuinely dope entertainment/culture and whatnot...but it's only up to the point they ever stopped being doormats for you. Or the country became sovereign and grew too strong. And more women found their guys attractive... Tell me I'm lyin, I ain't

[@ancientfalmer4341]

Love what Japan has become. What an inspiring success story. We may have forced them out of the muck, but they ran with it and built a great civilization to be admired.

[@resentfuldragon]

Let's not over praise a country that has deep issues. The japan of today has people regularly overworking themselves to death, has made business the center of their lives. The have extreme rates of loneliness and they buy more adult diapers in the nation than baby ones. They aren't torturing people to death and worshiping their leader anymore, which is a major leap forward, but they now are a dystopia for the average corporate worker. They haven't made it, they became a dark future of extreme capitalism. Obviouly I don't think communism is the answer, we saw its far worse in outcome on this channel, but clearly they need better worker laws.

[@Robb1977]

@@resentfuldragon we need economical/living systems that arent based on the entire individual or the entire group to move forward. Sadly there's not enough space or resources to make this a reality, but maybe corporate culture will fade away one day.

[@Christobanistan]

@@resentfuldragon They also have extremely little due process, an intermingling of organized crime with government and police, and a terrible legal system, which is the real reason you never see Japanese looters, they're afraid to be arrested.

[@karenk2409]

Prime Minister Yoshida and General Douglas MacArthur made a miracle.

[@PariahEarth]

every Kurosawa film is one of the greatest ever made in all of film lol

[@JosephJoboLicayan]

Lets say it all again now, but in sync... Post-War Economic Miracle

[@tylerbozinovski427]

Sponsored by Bill Wurtz.

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

Post War Economic Holocaust and Post War Culture Murder seems more accurate.

[@404Dannyboy]

@@andredeketeleastutecomplex Turning terms on their head isn't a clever way to say whatever the hell you think you are saying.

[@whathell6t]

@@andredeketeleastutecomplex Actually! Kamen Rider (from Ichigo to Shin and Zo) in the Showa Era deals with that fact constantly, especially since the several protagonists were a experimental test subjects.

[@ericktellez7632]

I dont get why is called “economic miracle”, when it was no miracle when you have the US pouring money into your economy so you can act as a barrier against Russia and China in the Pacific.

[@brokenbridge6316]

When the host mentioned Anime and Godzilla I smiled. I love them both almost as much as history itself. Wonderful video you made. I'll be looking forward to that special Godzilla video with great anticipation. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

[@ernestolombardo5811]

Ah...! Glad you mentioned jazz, considering how jazz cafés became a noted feature of alternative urban culture in the 60s and 70s, particularly in Yokohama... where the US military presence was most prevalent.

[@roymustang5850]

I remember there is explanation why they love curry rice in japan, they got it from joint army relations with British Navy, one of favorite menu of British Navy is Curry (which influenced by British colonization of India and India immigrants) and Japanese Navy also implemented Curry recipe in their diet, some of retiring Navy open up some curry restaurants based from Japanese Navy recipe and boom it gain popularity with Japanese people

[@karenk2409]

That's a fun factoid! I never connected curry with Japan!

[@Voucher765]

Yup like Katsu curry and Ramen too derived from Chinese noodles

[@tombystander]

As a 90s kid, its insane how much of my childhood and honestly my adulthood is predicated on media from japan. Truly amazing culture

[@Voucher765]

Same and we can be grateful that Japan was not brutalized under Communist rule, The same with the Republic Of China in Taiwan

[@ArghyaDas44]

When Perry arrived in japan it was almost 100 years behind in technological advancements, now its 100 years above than others.

[@ssbohio]

"American Commodore Matthew Perry..." I love his later work on television... :)

[@ChibiChidorii]

I wish you at least mentioned the fact that there's still American bases in Japan. I lived in Sasebo and the presence of the American Naval Base is ever present. It's weird because the American influence is used as a touristic element as this place you can see Americans around but they actually mostly stay in their own Neighborhoods so it kinda feels autosegregated for some reason.

[@23Lgirl]

Japan is still very Japanese not America.

[@シュシュとチャンネル-q4o]

Love this video!👍🏻 Greetings from Japan

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

How accurate was it? Or are you too young to really know?

[@TheColdWarTV]

どうもありがとうございました

[@dunzhen]

Is it true Japanese women lowkey worship white guys? I heard the dating scene there is really good, I want to go too..

[@basichistory]

Really enjoyed this video. Plesse do one for Germany.

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

It was really well done; I learned a lot.

[@douglasstrother6584]

That would be interesting since there are so many Americans of German descent.

[@dunzhen]

Germany and Japan...both US vassals

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

Hey, just wanted to say this video was very well executed. I love this subject matter.

[@davidp.7620]

"Admitting he was not a commie"

[@johnbrowning8785]

"Kami" that is Japanese for a 'deity/god'

[@viksingh3875]

lol

[@ptptpt123]

I chuckled when I heard that, but knew he meant kami/god.

[@polyhistorphilomath]

Entire world dies of shock as rather conservative Japanese man admits he is not a Bolshevik.

[@pac1fic055]

But he was one.

[@BeefPapa]

My dad joined the navy right after the war and was part of rebuilding missions in the aftermath in several Asian countries. He always said to me the Japanese won by losing the war. He described post war Japan as a third world country in dire need of a change.

[@chrism9471]

Keep up the good work

[@deezmfnn]

my grandpa lived in okinawa right after the war, he was i think 3-6 years old at the time, he crossed the pacific on a boat.

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

Here before mentions Anime

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Hi comrade

[@pyeitme508]

Yeah true

[@samsam-xk3er]

Anime

[@MrRenegadeshinobi]

Tentacles

[@whathell6t]

@@samsam-xk3er Tokusatsu Medium

[@meepk633]

That file footage is amazing.

[@こうき-k9r]

I am Japanese. What I am going to say may be imprudent. I presume many Japanese should be grateful to American Ocuupation. Before WW2, Japan didn't had freedom of speech and academic freedom. However, we enjoy them and our country has flourishes with supported by United States. If Japan had been occupied by USSR, Japan would be like China or North Korea. This would be dystopia. I love USA. Thank you for giving us democracy.

[@Krishna-pt3yu]

Be grateful that US stole 35 years of growth and development from you, starting with the plaza accord. 35 years of stagnation in the worlds most hard working nation. the nation that had unwavering determination to be the best, that had unshakable faith in its civilisation and state. Japanese used to have the worlds most nationalistic country the love you people used to have for your nation and army was greater than any country even deemed possible, today lets be honest you dont even have an army ponder about how shameful it is that such a great society and civilisation has no effective army to defend its glory and stimulate pride in it self. Your constitution was written by America, In 2016 Joe biden said that "we wrote their constitution how can they aquire nukes" The japanese constitution is the world largest Unedited legal document For 80 years your successive governments never had the spine to edit a single word of the constitution which dictates the lives of 140 million people. I think you know what happened to Shinzo Abe who tried to bring change. You think you have democracy think again you are denied the fundamental right to determine your future. Today Japanese have noway to protest this they simply stop having children, And the goverment does nothing to encourage people to have children.

[@icemaun5379]

By their fruits, ye shall know them. The US is not perfect by any means. But occupation by the US is already to proven far superior to an occupation of the USSR. The only difference is that Japans culture was influenced by the USA but has remained strongly Japanese in origin. There’s no need for unjustified hate.

[@karenk2409]

Speaking as a scholar of Japanese-American history and having lived in Japan for most of 1953-1964 (I remember the Olympics!), you are very welcome. Most of your critics have very little knowledge of history and are so full of their own ideology they are not listening to you.

[@wonderndlovu6657]

Lol

[@historyrepeat402]

@@Krishna-pt3yu huh? You must have missed the day your history class talked about 3 million plus people the Japanese killed during WW2, the reason they were occupied.

[@dewaeryadi7776]

Japan creativity is on another level

[@chaoscontroller316]

It could be argued that, had Americans not given their culture to Japan the way they did, Japan would not become one of the leading tech giants the way they are today. From electric cars to friendly energy to video games to animation software, we owe a lot of modern day trivialities to Japan, not to mention how much this Japanese growth influenced other countries as well.

[@JT-qh2up]

The Japanese were leading tech giants before the war. American occupation and wartime destruction only delayed this emerging trend.

[@bigoofinthechat5496]

@@JT-qh2upWhile the US obviously can’t take all or even most of the credit for Japans success in tech and their economy it is absolutely blockheaded and ignorant to say American intervention didn’t have a complete net positive on the country.

[@karenk2409]

The US didn't "give their culture to Japan," the Japanese people after the war finally saw the standard of living that could be attained through American cultural practices introduced during the occupation, and they wanted it! Japan then mobilized its business acumen, educational assets, and inherent work ethic and created its version of material success Japanese-style.

[@GRKNG]

I love this video so much it's so detailed. Also very unbiased. :)

[@RocketCouch]

Anyone else think that Commodore Mattyew Perry looks like Matthew Perry today? Like he just went back in time to make Japan cool again? Explains what he did after Friends.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Gojira trampled my bell button.

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

Was he/it wearing bellbottoms?

[@TheColdWarTV]

Mothra will be dispatched for assistance

[@yutakago1736]

Wealthy Nation, Strong Country (富国強兵) is originally a phrase from the ancient Chinese historical work on the Warring States period.

[@francescoazzoni3445]

Would be interested to see something similar for Italy

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

I don't think anybody occupied Italy though. Austria was occupied but no one seems to care what impact it had on them.

[@douglasstrother6584]

That would be interesting since there are so many Americans of Italian descent.

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

What came to my mind was the post war tourist trades turn Neapolitan pizza and tomato sauce into a national dish, not the Roma style with cream sauce. How did the transition happened and did they do it to get tourist money, the only real source of income in 50's Italy before industry goods got back in production?

[@mat3714]

Great work guys , more post/pre war cultural/social videos plz

[@enesamederel]

15:07 Holy god! I'm a Muhteşem Yüzyıl fanboy. Series which ended 7 years ago in Turkey. I couldn't imagine this series such an impact beyond our borders. Wow. I'm in shock to see that reference on this channel. Fantastic video btw keep it up!

[@TheColdWarTV]

my wife watches it so I am familiar with the show.

[@leanderbarreto6523]

@@TheColdWarTV I watched a bit

[@kamrankhalid2153]

It is a hit in South Asia, especially Pakistan and Bangladesh you have no idea. Ertugural Gazi, Dirlis Osman and Kosem the sequal of Magnificent century are widely popular among many other non historical turkish Dramas translated into Urdu. But these new Turkish dramas like Ertugural are showed here with ulterior motives. Thanks

[@enesamederel]

@@kamrankhalid2153 You know when you think globally known series you come up with tons of American series maybe a few British ones. I knew that the Turkish series especially romance dramas are widely popular in Mena countries because we are sort of culturally close to each other compared to different parts of the world but I didn't know that Turkish series are watched by American and Asian countries That's surprised me a lot. I found the Ertugrul-like historic series ulterior too due to some domestic politics. Why do you think that series are shown with ulterior motives in your country?

[@kamrankhalid2153]

@@enesamederel The place where Im from such things such as foreign shows, books, hero's are exported and shown to people in order to distract people. Plus the nation has an identity crisis, in order to justify its existence, incompetence more specifically the rule and stranglehold over the country of the military they export culture and icons. The try to claim lineages of Persians, Arabs and now Turks more specifically Ottomans. Turkic people ruled this region but since they already are experts using other countries shows they have now successfully distracted the youth and filled its mind with the poison of Ertugural gazi. I loved magnificient century because it was an accidental hit and was more balanced. Ertugural has a political motives and the military and rulers have successfully used it. The region Im living in is already filled with religious extremists due to 70 years of constant culture exports of conquers who killed "infidels"

[@yogasempolan]

Love japan 🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩

[@GeDiceMan]

The Weeaboo presence in the comment section is strong and powerful...

[@jeremyfdavies]

Good presentation, congrats.

[@jeffreybeckham1130]

A special Gojira episode, you say?

[@michaelfodor6280]

This would be cool. To make the 1954 Gojira movie more relatable to Americans, they reshot some scenes with Raymond Burr, a Canadian from New Westminster, British Columbia. He later returned to the role of journalist Steve Martin in Godzilla 1985.

[@thatsme9875]

David, thankyou for another excellent production. It really resonated with me, as both my great-grand-parents were Salvation Army Officers in Japan from 1888 to (early) 1941. my two great-aunts departed Yokohama on the last Shell Oil tanker which departed one week before Pearl Harbour! for the rest of their lives (they both survived into their 90's) they spoke English and 1941 Japanese. my great-grandmother (and one of her sons, who died in infancy) is buried in the Gaijin Bochi (Foreigner's Cemetary) on the headland overlooking Yokohama Bay (home of the main Japanese Naval Base). this is a very interesting cemetery, as for many centuries, it was the only location that non-Japanese could be interred, so it contains the remnants of many Counts, Earls, Barons, von Graffs etc , from Britain, America, Portugal, Russia, Germany, Sweden, America etc my grandfather (born in Yokohama) used to tell me the story about how he was sailing in Yokohama Bay with a Japanese friend one day in 1919, and a fog set in. When the fog lifted, they discovered that they had inadvertently sailed into the middle of the Japanese Naval Base. My grandfather was allowed to leave, but his friend suffered dreadfully at the hands of the Japanese Naval security force, who suspected him of being a spy. he and his brother departed Japan in 1920 to travel to Sydney for Study, and never returned.

[@FortuneZer0]

4:04 well Japan even before the Capitulation was one of the most anticommunist countries.

[@papabear90]

Well they were more or less the nazis of the east. And nazis and commies just don't get on.

[@ozzmanhaji]

Fantastic video

[@Azra2769]

can you make an episode about Japanese interpretation of what happened in ww 2 and blackout of info throughout Cold War years?

[@curtisgregory517]

I remember as a kid, just after WW2 it was a joke to see anything made in japan. At that time all they could make was little things like the little prize in the box of "Cracker Jacks." Soon that would change. Later, in the 1950s, as a young man, I was so fortunate to be in Tokyo, Haneda Airport working with the Japanese on a very critical US contract with Japan Airlines. I was very young and the Japanese guys were much older than me, they taught me so much. Seeing all these great qualities of the Japanese people I predicted the success of Japan. Soon, I seen Zenith and RCA televisions simply put out of business by Sony. ,, on and on many other companies,, customers loved the quality of Japanese products. the Japanese quality of products simply KILLED their competition... Great people, ,,,, + the most honest people on earth.

[@Frisbieinstein]

Yep, those little paper umbrellas. The change began when Deep Purple's Made In Japan came out. That's when we found out Japan could record live music better than us. Next the TVs, then automobiles.

[@saldiven2009]

I think the initial quote is a bit mistranslated. I believe it should be "gods" or "spirits" rather than "God" in the Western sense. Shinto does not believe in a single God, but rather spirits that inhabit things like rivers, mountains, homes, etc. The confusion in translation probably comes from the fact that Japanese words don't have a plural form like English words. "Kami" is both singular and plural. Someone coming from a Western background would likely assume the word was singular, when it more likely referred to the countless kami that exist in Shinto.

[@saldiven2009]

@lati long Sure, but in Japanese Shinto, there is no "supreme deity." It's an animist religion believing that spirits inhabit just about everything. Those spirits are the "kami," and "kami" often gets translated as "god" or "gods" when "spirit" would probably be a more appropriate translation. There are also kami for things like birth and agriculture. Shinto tradition says there are "eight million million" kami.

[@karenk2409]

Thank you, good clarification.

[@yohannbiimu]

There is a fascinating film trilogy I discovered watching Turner Classic Movies called "The Human Condition", directed by Masaki Kobayashi that I believe might be the best piece of Japanese cinema I've ever seen. It's incredible because it's anti-war, but it paints the Japanese army as the inhuman vehicle that it was during the 1930s and World War 2, and it handles the subject so well. I recorded the last part last night (each part is over 3 hours long, and is almost ten hours overall), and I look forward to watching it. It was filmed and released between 1959 and 1961, so it covers the time period you're talking about here.

[@karenk2409]

The Japanese after the war blamed their own military and government for their deception, oppression, terrible human losses, and humiliating defeat. I recommend the book Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse.

[@meejinhuang]

It changed Japanese politics and if you go to Japan today, they very much have their own culture. Their innovations are more likely to influence American culture today.

[@Sticknub]

And they have, but with anime... which isn't a good thing anime has literally ruined our youth

[@助平ニックワイルド]

@@Sticknub Where's your un-anecdoted proof on that?

[@VladimirDemetrovIlyushin]

@@Sticknub You ask me, it only amplified current cultural problems. If anything, a strong-minded individual wouldn't be influenced by japanese cartoons, but we don't have many of those nowadays.

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

Learning how Japan went from a military dictatorship to a full-fledge democracy seemingly overnight was one of the best things that happened in the 20th century. It sucks such a miracle can't happen twice today with other countries whose people still suffer from living in an autocratic society, or how all-out civil war always happens when an autocratic state is decapitated because a power vacuum forms.

[@115islandscompass6]

Japan was not a military dictatorship. In Japan, where there were tens of thousands of communists aiming for a defeat revolution, it was very likely that a civil war would occur, but the presence of the emperor prevented it. That is why in May 1945, the Government of Japan notified the United States that the only condition for surrender was the maintenance of the imperial family. I understand well that you Westerners didn't try to understand Japanese at all and still don't.

[@lngvly22]

Shows the power of the American ideal!

[@stefthorman8548]

@@115islandscompass6 japan WAS an military dictatorship, and the rest of your paragraph does nothing to prove your point.

[@pythag0rad]

@@115islandscompass6 Exactly. The West only considers cultural hegemony exercised by itself to be successes, as opposed to countries developing their own governance. A lot of Japanese still remember the insult of the 80s by the US when Japan was only doing what America had taught it to do, though even more effectively.

[@LaTierraNueva19]

What we did to japan was a cultural genocide, a way of life was lost for mass imperialism and consumerism, disgusting. Its not your place to tell other nations how to run their country or their culture.

[@thedysfunctionalbiographer3314]

Any plans to do a feature on the rearmament of both West and East Germany by NATO and the USSR?

[@sacluvsBM]

Japan produced Band-Maid and for that alone they have my eternal gratitude.

[@nileshkumaraswamy2711]

I've always thought that the US introduced baseball to japan.

[@Gameflyer001]

Yes, back in 1872. Japan, in turn, introduced it to Brazil, by way of the sizable Japanese diaspora living there, hence why Brazilian players have been making their way to the majors within the past decade.

[@ryhanzfx1641]

@@Gameflyer001 what a world lol

[@jackthorton10]

Talking Baseball ⚾️… what a world indeed

[@deadby15]

I think Taiwan learned it from Japan, too. There’s a film based on a true event about a Taiwanese baseball team beating richer, more famous Japanese teams in the pre-war era.

[@Gameflyer001]

@@deadby15 makes sense, as Japan had occupied the island prior to WWII.

[@hebneh]

Some years ago, in a conversation with some middle aged and older Japanese women, we came to the conclusion that if Japan had worked to build up manufacturing and exports instead of trying to become a colonial power in Asia, it could've avoided all the horrors of World War II and ended up where it eventually did, only earlier, and without the deaths of millions of people.

[@karenk2409]

Your very smart women friends, in my opinion, are right. Japan's leadership became obsessed with a racial-superiority, militaristic fascist ideology that led them to colonize Korea and parts of Mongolia and China, to provide them with resources for their industries, then headed on south, sure of victory. The American fleet in the South Pacific was in the way. Against Yamamoto's better judgment, they took on the U.S. and managed to accomplish what the U.K. had been trying to do for years: get America into the war. At that point, the vast disparity in population and industrial capacity spelled the end of that Japanese adventure.

[@AllUpOns]

@@karenk2409 As an interesting side note, it wasn't a given that the US's declaration of war against Japan would also mean greater participation in Europe. There was a legitimate fear at the time that Japan would distract America away from war with Germany. Luckily, Hitler was an idiot and saved FDR the trouble by bafflingly declaring war on the US and fully unleashing the economic powerhouse on both fronts.

[@karenk2409]

@@AllUpOns Actually, the real issue was the raw materials (petroleum, bauxite, nickel, etc etc) available only in Southeast Asia and heretofore controlled by European colonial powers. Japan had been heavily dependent on American petroleum for a long time. As Japan floundered in Mongolia (stymied by the USSR), it looked southward for those resources, with the goal being dominate the area itself. The war in Europe badly degraded the colonial powers' ability to protect their SE Asian assets. The American Navy based in the Philippines stood between Japan and its goal. As Japan's invasions progressed, Roosevelt by stages cut them off from American supplies. By Pearl Harbor, Japan had only 18 months' petroleum supplies left. When it made its big dramatic move, bombing the US Navy at Pearl and simultaneously driving south, it became a mortal threat to Europe and the US. And that was that

[@warrio6]

So the GOD EMPEROR OF MANKIND got his early start in Japan huh

[@whathell6t]

@warrio6 But still no match against Kamen Rider Ohma Zi-O, the demon god of the Kamen Rider multiverse.

[@diegotapia2830]

praise be the GOD EMPEROR AND THE MACHINE GOD

[@Joshua_N-A]

Tenno Heika Banzai = The Emperor Protects

[@abdulazis400]

Obviously God-Emperor of Mankind are the first Emperor of Japan

[@abdulazis400]

@@whathell6t HERESY THERE IS NO BEING CAN DEFEAT THE GOD-EMPEROR!!! Yes inquisitor this comment PREPARE TO BE PURGE IN HOLY FIRE HERETIC =][= The Emperor Protect =][=

[@tobbyhappy3572]

Yes.

[@SHAHIDKC]

General douglass : buys land from the rich and redistributes it to the poor. Eisenhower : CIA TIME TO OVERTHROW A DEMOCRACY IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY.

[@dportillo1]

I have an Asian studies exam next week and these videos help a lot. I have picked Japan and Korea, but also had the option of SEA, China and India/Pakistan

[@shiveshsingh3169]

India-Pakistan would have been a VERY spicy one, especially in the 20th century... XD

[@ItsAVolcano]

Not just hamburgers, bread itself became a regular part of the Japanese diet due in large part to the massive quantities of wheat the US shipped over after the war to combat starvation, followed up by helping build tens of thousands of communal ovens across the country to bake the bread. As an aside the US actually offered to ship rice initially, only for the Japanese who tried it to almost universally reject American long grain rice.😂

[@23Lgirl]

Japan is still very Japanese not America.

[@luv2sail66]

Well done and well presented. Definitely worth a subscription and looking forward to more of your videos.

[@subtitleaddict5343]

I wanna know about Chile and Zaire(DR Congo) during the cold war!

[@FortuneZer0]

Si! Eviva mon General Augusto Pinochet! Also the Mercenaries that managed to stabilize the Congo.

[@404Dannyboy]

The Congo needs like 5 episodes to even scratch the surface.

[@Altrantis]

@@FortuneZer0 This is mixed with french XD A chilean pinochetista would say "¡Viva mi general Pinochet!" Chile during the cold war was a clusterfuck, probably the worst off we've ever been.

[@fernandoreynaaguilar1438]

I wish in my country we could have a Pinochet.

[@sebastiansirvas1530]

@@fernandoreynaaguilar1438 Some would aay Perú needs an Otoya Yamaguchi.

[@the1ghost764]

Nice episode.

[@richardbostan4286]

Whenever I hear or read anything about the American occupation of Japan, I immediately recall a story I heard from my parents about something they witnessed at a swap meet in the Vancouver area of Canada about 20 years ago. Many vendors at the swap meet sold bone china, some of which was stamped "Made In Occupied Japan." A small group of Japanese men went table to table buying up anything labelled "Made In Occupied Japan." Once they had a fairly large haul, the men took everything to the area where the big garbage dumpsters were. Piece by piece, with visible anger on their faces, the men began throwing everything they had just bought to the ground, smashing everything into little bits. Once all of the bone china was destroyed, the Japanese men calmly walked away, with many people (my parents included) just watching them, stunned at what they had seen.

[@k00lkidz4]

Seethe

[@thelastdefenderofcamelot5623]

don't spread lies. this never happened in Vancouver.

[@EsleysTube]

Lmao I didn't know "Crime and Punishment" had a Manga adaptation 14:10

[@chaitanyasaagar9895]

That " yoooouuuu" picture in the background.

[@kayumochi]

Decades ago, young Japanese took American Ivy League style clothing (men's) and made it their own and now that influence in clothing is seen back in the USA if you know where to look. Denim is another clothing sector they have made their own: now that the last domestic factory making denim fabric the way it used to be made closed a few years ago in America, most of the high-end selvedge jeans manufactured in the USA is made from fabric that comes from looms in located Japan.

[@demilembias2527]

Japan's development over the years has been such a miracle, especially during the post war era. the fact that the US was uncharacteristically willing to help change a culture for the benefit of its people and the fact that the Japanese were very characteristically tired of their military government and eager to import and synthesize new cultures led to nothing short of the most civil and positive post-war interaction in all of history. I'm so thankful for their economic and cultural miracle and think everywhere should take an example from their rejection of military spending and focus on education and infrastructure, and I'm sad that Japan has recently been moving away somewhat from their commitment to peace in article 9.

[@jackthorton10]

Peace ☮️ doesn’t last forever… only to maintain

[@demilembias2527]

@@jackthorton10 sadly true, but this time is has to. the next war between any kind of major powers will likely lead to the destruction of civilization.

[@jackthorton10]

@@demilembias2527 Indeed, all we can try to do... is prepare, and also hope, but if such a event happens, let it for we are but observers of the world around us :)

[@ericktellez7632]

What miracle? When you have the richest nation in history throwing money at you so your economy improves of course it will be better even after getting nuked twice.

[@markoliimatainen2565]

Removal of patriarcal society was a big mistake and will destroy Japan just like it destroyed ALL western countries. Western values sucks ass, they are weak and incoherent mess that will be replaced by coherent and more powerful values.

[@paradox_1729]

Damn that video quality is amazing..

[@onikai7055]

I like to think we influenced Japanese culture and Japanese culture influenced us

[@DivinesLegacy]

@@siyacer Why are you everywhere? I saw you on a britmonkey video about banning cars.

[@23Lgirl]

Japan is still very Japanese not America.

[@onikai7055]

@@23Lgirl ik but they got some cultural influences from the American

[@dunzhen]

90%+ Japanese culture comes from China. Modern Japan you could say America inspired them, for sure.

[@mikexstad1121]

This channel is so good

[@Mr.Nichan]

15:04 What an interesting pop-culture reference. I don't remember ever hearing about any Turkish TV show before (not counting TRT). By mentioning it as something we should know, you imply this one is pretty internationally popular, though, unless you just mentioned in a previous video, are targeting Turkish and circum-Turkish people (which is unlikely, since you used the English name), are trying to get us to look it up to get the reference, or just didn't think that hard about it, and it's just something you watched.

Very intersting

[@jankowalski3496]

Don't tell me about Magnificent Century! In Poland it was a plague! :)

[@TheColdWarTV]

It's not really to my taste; my wife is watching it. But it is super popular in lots of the world, and is a close approximation of the NHK dramas of the 1950s.

[@trizvanov]

Japan was the first Far-East country to experience "Western Invasion", followed by South Korea. Obviously, China over the past two decades, took it to a whole new level.

[@JTA1961]

99cents at a time.

[@captaindak5119]

What do you mean by "western invasion?"

[@trizvanov]

@@captaindak5119 It is a pop culture reference. No different to "British Invasion", when referring to Beatles in US or "American Invasion", when talking about Blues and Rap in Britain.

[@captaindak5119]

@@trizvanov oh thanks, I figured it was about western culture.

[@captaindak5119]

@@trizvanov what are some examples of western cultural influence in China that come to mind?

[@Numba003]

Japan is such an interesting nation. They've seen so much change and adaptation over the centuries, and they're still going all these many years later. Thank you for this very nifty video! I would like to see more about the occupations immediately after WW2. Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you, friends. ✝️ :)

[@23Lgirl]

Japan is still very Japanese not America.

[@luisfelipegoncalves4977]

Can you make a video on the relations between Japan, the USSR and China? And the Japanese Communist Party as well and why it is the largest one in the world?

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

I really really doubt it's the largest.

[@luisfelipegoncalves4977]

@@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music You're right but it's still one of the largest

[@CA999]

Yes I was going to remark that the end of this episode was sort of incomplete as it did not really summarise how much the Japanese participated in the cold war and the ongoing impact of us occupation of Japan via various military bases.

[@sebastiansirvas1530]

@@CA999 The impact being keeping CCP fools out?

[@karenk2409]

I am writing a dissertation on this very subject. The Communist Party in Japan is miniscule, and always has been. They were troublemakers before the war, and afterwards. The imperial Japanese government threw them all in prison. MacArthur freed them in the name of democracy. You need to read a book.

[@brianrajala7671]

Some of those educational initiatives should have been employed in the USA, we seemed to have lost that drive toward success

[@mllrdnl]

Yep, and it's starting to show...

[@Mr.Nichan]

7:33 The fact that 90% of Japanese people considered themselves "middle class" in the 1970s says more about their mentality than about the economy. There is no universally known or accepted definition of "middle class", so such a self-reporting study just shows that 1970s Japanese people liked to group themselves together as part of an economically "normal" group and not to group themselves with the poorest or the richest people. Japanese culture is known for promoting normalness and not wanting to be abnormal, so that's not a surprise. Trying to get people to think of themselves as middle class IS supposed to be a classic goal of capitalist indoctrination, though, and it also does mean they'd overcome any desire of people to group themselves into subgroups or feudal classes (which I think were formally abolished in the 1867 Meiji Restoration, so clearly not all attributable to the US, though you did indicate a pseudo-feudal system developed after 1867 anyway).