The Occupation of Japan Begins - a WW2 Epilogue Special

[@WorldWarTwo]

Though the war has ended, our historical coverage continues! Tune in every Saturday at 15:30 CET for brand-new episodes. Each week we will alternate between a WW2 special and the next chapter of Rise of Hitler. Don’t miss out-TimeGhost Army members get early access to both! Join the TimeGhost Army: www.patreon.com/join/TimeGhostHistory

[@emmiannon1266]

Im glad youre doing these epilogue episodes. I was so worried that it might go "and then Japan surrendered, the end" and end there and then. Obviously history goes on forever and you cant keep up the coverage that long but still nice while it lasts.

[@cskellum4]

Your coverage of WW2 is one of the best-ever uses of the internet. I hope you’ll keep covering the aftermath. It’s so important and interesting and yet gets so little coverage

[@franciscoacevedo3036]

Douglas McArthur would have a heart atk seeing the emperor worship in the deep south E.G.😂😂 Stone mountain

[@lawrenceallen8096]

To credibly compare the Soviet forced occupation of Eastern European countries between Germany and the Soviet Union to the US occupation of Japan, you would have to have had the USA occupying Korea, China, Japan, Philippines, etc., wiping away their governments and installing puppet governments there. I never saw any history where that was claimed to have happened. As for the countries that US military was present across western Europe, I don't believe those are comparable to Soviet occupation and installation of puppet governments either. Especially since the Soviet occupied countries had walls built and people fleeing FROM the Soviet Occupation, and fleeing TO freedom and self-determination, in the case of the Western Democracies. It is an erroneous comparison.

[@lawrenceallen8096]

The terms "Gulags and Work Camps" deliberately conceal what they really were: slave camps. No one was paid, they were property of the Soviet Union and they were worked to death. The word is Slavery...slave camps. The adoption of "Gulag" and "work camps" in the English lexicon was to conceal that reality from the general public in the USA, and that was the doing of the likes of the New York Times and other leftists in Media, US State Department (how come the $10s of billions the Soviet Union borrowed in lend-lease was discounted to less than $800 million?), Hollywood and others sympathetic to the Soviet Union and communism. More people died as property of the Soviet Union as slaves than ever existed in the Antebellum south 82 year of slavery in parts of the USA.

[@soratoyuki]

I still can't believe it's ending. This has been my Saturday afternoon ritual for all these years. Thank you so much for this project.

[@WorldWarTwo]

We will still have episodes coming out every Saturday. Be it WW2 specials or The Rise of Hitler, we'll be here!

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

Also the Korean War channel.

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

It is the Saturday morning ritual for me and my dog. I don’t watch Korea on Tuesday. I watch it on Saturday. With a good cup of coffee.

[@jtgd]

Same

[@rrice1705]

@@rajeshkanungo6627 Same here! In fact as I'm writing this I still have some coffee left to drink.

[@g.mantua1195]

I'm not a fan of MacArthur, but his handling of the Japanese occupation is his greatest moment, and the Japan we see today is the best part of his legacy. Going to miss my Sunday morning ritual. I've been here since the beginning of this series and have enjoyed every episode.

[@damascus21]

I agree with you on MacArthur. He has a special place in Hell for allowing Unit 731 to get away with what they did.

[@franciscoacevedo3036]

​@@damascus21not to mention keeping quiet about America's "emperor" worhsip eg Lost Causers and cuckfederates

[@420JackG]

Dugout Doug, coward of the county

[@WellBattle6]

Hope you watch The Korean War!

[@g.mantua1195]

@@WellBattle6 I am subscribed and watching every Tuesday.

[@michaelmoran3946]

An uncle served in Japan serving as a medic. He said that the Japanese suffered from outbreaks of many diseases like cholera and dysentery. Overall it was a positive experience for him as he was helping people and enjoyed his interactions with the Japanese people. A few men from my hometown in Arkansas returned from occupation duty with Japanese wives. I grew up with a few of their kids. One ended up as a cheerleader in my high school. I know that another is a university professor in Georgia.

[@bobmetcalfe9640]

My father was with the British Pacific Fleet and was initially in Japan just after the surrender, helping to liberate POWs. He hated the Japanese the rest of his life. On the other hand I think most of the initial group were sent home reasonably quickly and replaced by Commonwealth troops who in the main had not fought. Which may have been a wise thing.

[@jerrybaharlias9809]

The war was just and the ensuing peace real and enduring

[@MikeShaw-zax2000]

The Marshall Plan & the reconstruction/transformation of Japan stand out as among the most complex, wide-ranging, and successful foreign policy missions of the last century- by any country. The fact that they happened concurrently, on opposite sides of the world, and involved populations from vastly different cultures but focused on a similar outcome for both is astounding. A series that explored the progress of these programs would be an awesome epilogue. I'd love to learn more about their successes, failures, and the people involved in them.

[@irondwarf66]

Their success is to blame for all subsequent US meddling in other countries trying to recreate it

[@terryp3034]

Great suggestion!

[@TheGuy-cf2rg]

"A role he doesnt...... Not enjoy." Yeah Indy, what an understatement! 😂😂

[@kitjohnson2767]

Great way to put it.

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

The God-Emperor didn’t die, he just got a new boss.

[@JesseOaks-ef9xn]

MacArthur? Yes, that is logical, he did have a big ego.

[@shaider1982]

They just went back to Tokugawa-era style politics with a Shogun ruling,albeit a gaijin one.

[@enixbluerain7213]

@@shaider1982 MacArthur was indeed the last Shogun.

[@TheManFrayBentos]

@@enixbluerain7213 Finished up rusty and unloved in a field somewhere, like a Mitsubishi.

[@andrewhoag6167]

Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss 🎸

[@stephengoetsch349]

Very well done discussion. My Japanese in-laws lived through the war, my wife discovered long lost photos of Hitler and Tojo in junk storage in her ancestral home when it came time for them to move out into a senior care facility. While the prospect of my marrying into my wife’s family was certainly not well received at the time, I soon discovered that they very much appreciated the changes that the American occupation brought to Japan. Land reform was epic, perhaps the single most radical thing that the Americans did. Real democratic reforms didn’t take as robustly as the land reform or breakup of the zaibatsu, but all those things greatly improved Japan’s social fabric.

[@tigertank06]

Why didn’t your in-laws like you marrying their daughter?

[@stephengoetsch349]

@@tigertank06 for Japanese, anything foreign, especially that which might sully the family, is suspect. Also, the reputation of Americans especially American servicemen at bases in Japan long after the occupation had ended, was not positive. I am also a committed Christian, and Christianity is considered “not Japanese”, a kind of treason as a result of the Tokugawa era. But both my parents-in-law became Christian before they passed, something we were very thankful for.

[@Paladin1873]

Perhaps MacArthur's greatest achievement was rescuing and rebuilding postwar Japan into a modern society. He may never have achieved his ambition of becoming an American President, but he was emperor of Japan in all but name.

[@sanderudam]

More of a Shogun (the Foreign Shogun) than an Emperor.

[@Paladin1873]

@@sanderudam Or an American Caesar as some have claimed.

[@DavidMcdonald-df8tb]

The United States should have studied what they did with Japan and Germany after the war. Instead they threw out everyone in the government and chaos resulted.

[@Paladin1873]

@@DavidMcdonald-df8tb Are you referring to Afghanistan and Iraq?

[@DavidMcdonald-df8tb]

@@Paladin1873 yes. In Iraq the man in charge of occupation for the United States, I think his name was Bremer, fired everyone in the Iraqi government. The people he put in place didn't know how to run anything and the people he fired went into the streets and started gangs out of resentment. He should have kept the compatent men in place. Years of chaos and destruction took place after that.

[@Ugnaught82]

My father was in the 4th Marine Regiment, landing that day at Yokosuka Naval Base. He came in, in the second wave, he said everyone was very nervous as they were not sure if there would be any resistance. His landing craft came ashore at a seaplane hanger and just after unloading they were broken up into various size units to advance into the base and seize certain objectives. Suddenly there were three gunshots not too far off. A little later he found out that three Japanese soldiers had committed suicide rather than see the surrender through. Then, he heard a band playing, and getting closer and closer. He said the music was a bit off key, and soon a surrender delegation appeared with a small band. His group was then hustled off. He was assigned to moving any weapons found to the base jail. He said they soon spread out into the surrounding city, and they went room to room in several large apartment buildings. In one room, an elderly couple sat in the floor of their apartment. The man looked stoic but the woman was crying uncontrollably and bowing over and over, putting her head down to the floor. My Dad said that he must have looked very scary, with a full combat load and loaded M1 Garand, and he said some of his buddies had their bayonets fixed. They searched the room and left, leaving the woman looking rather surprised. He had always wondered they they had thought they were going to be killed.

[@ZER0ZER0SE7EN]

My dad's unit, Army Amphibian Engineers, landed in far northern Honshu in sight of Hokkaido. It was about this time of September 1945 as the first frost came. The town they went to was abandoned except for a few old men. One man spoke English and told my dad that he knew the American soldiers would not hurt them, contrary to the Japanese government's warnings, because he said the soldiers looked like boys, not even old enough to shave. He gave my dad an apple. Dad told him to wait and he returned from the cook with some fresh bread. Over the days and weeks the town people came down from the hills and back to the town.

[@willywonka4340]

​@@ZER0ZER0SE7EN sounds like that old man who spoke English was probably an Issei American who moved back to Japan prior to the war. Great story, thanks! 😊❤

[@daveirwin6903]

One of my best friends in high school had a dad who had spent time in a Soviet POW labor camp after the war. He said that there were a couple of Japanese POW’s in the camp. All the prisoners were treated harshly, but the Japanese got the brunt of the abuse. He doubted that they ever made it home.

[@alexamerling79]

Thank you for the best coverage of WWII I have ever seen!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you, very kind of you to say. -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@treystephens6166]

USA 🇺🇸 UK 🇬🇧 Russia 🇷🇺 Japan 🇯🇵 Germany 🇩🇪 Italy 🇮🇹 among others 🇹🇼 🇨🇦 🇫🇷

[@Custerd1]

I served in the Peace Corps in a small town in Kazakhstan near the Chinese border. The largest employer there was the lead-zinc plant, which they were proud of telling me "produced as many as 1/3 of the bullets fired in WWII." No idea if this was just bragging or if there was any basis in fact. I was also told that the plant was maintained by Japanese POWs who "went on to stay there" after their terms of incarceration were fulfilled. After the collapse of the USSR they all (well, whoever remained) returned to Japan.

[@JuleyC]

If it is the area of Kazakhstan I'm thinking of it was a major producer of armaments' for the USSR during the war so the claim may be based on that.

[@mikepette4422]

There may well have been many thousands of Japanese forced to work there for decades after the war but that number is dwarfed by the number of Germans including 2 of my Great Uncles who were both there for 7 or 8 years afterwards. They were both lucky because they were "employed" on farms and were treated pretty good

[@Custerd1]

@@mikepette4422 There were a lot of Germans in the town, too - more than Japanese. The post-unification German government lured them all back to Germany with generous stipends to relocate.

[@amogus948]

1/3 of all the bullets fired in ww2? Given that the Urss was outgunned by the Germans alone until 1943-44, it is just impossibile. It might be "1/3 of the bullets fired by the Soviets during ww2" or "through the decades we had produced an amount of bullets comparable to 1/3 of those fired during ww2"

[@JuleyC]

@@amogus948 Yes I was thinking it's 1/3 of all used by USSR too.

[@edwardadams9358]

Japanese were unused to eating wheat before the war. American shipments gave rise to ramen, something we think of as inherently Japanese.

[@aaroncabatingan5238]

That explains so much. I was wondering why a country known for its seafood and a region with a lot of rice suddenly had ramen as a popular meal.

[@NathanDudani]

No, Ramen is Chinese

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@aaroncabatingan5238 Interesting. Chinese do eat noodles, especially north Chinese. Some even think Marco Polo brought back the idea of spaghetti from China. A little surprising that this did not influence Japanese cuisine.

[@Hatypus]

Ramen arose out of the Chinese community in Yokohama in the late 19th or early 20th century. Not after the second world war. It *spread* across much of Japan after the war because of reasons mentioned in the video, and such as the terrible 1945 rice harvest, but also because Japanese troops that had been occupying China had in some cases tried wheat noodles during their time there.

[@GaryCameron]

@@stevekaczynski3793 A former Chinese GF explained noodles are from northern China, rice is southern China.

[@WalterReimer]

I would highly recommend the book 'Embracing Defeat' by John Dower, for additional information about how the Japanese adapted to postwar realities, how the Emperor remained on the throne, and how the Meiji Constitution was changed.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for the suggestion.

[@danielstickney2400]

If you enjoyed "Embracing Defeat" you should read "Showa, a History of Japan" by Shigeru MIzuki. It's a manga but don't let that put you off. Mizuki was an unenthusiastic mid-war draftee who barely survived the war and went on to become one of Japan's leading manga artists. The chapters are pretty evenly split between historical events and his own personal experiences. Some of the history is a little wonky but that could be the translator's fault or it could just be how he remembered those events. In any event he's unflinching in describing prewar, wartime and postwar Japan warts and all from the viewpoint of the average Japanese citizen and he doesn't cut the Allied occupation any slack either.

[@WalterReimer]

@@danielstickney2400 That sounds very interesting, thank you for the suggestion!

[@ralphranzinger4197]

Correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that Hirohito KNEW perfectly well what the Japanese had done since the 1930s and knew that he had to take some kind of responsibility for it. Working with the allied occupation forces, helping with the change of Japanese society in general was his way of doing just that. A Great Special, that's for sure.

[@aaroncabatingan5238]

The guy wanted to turn his country into a constitutional monarchy. He did not want to be an absolute monarch. He didn't like the idea so much that when a bunch of Japanese officers decided to rise up to overthrow the government and make him the absolute ruler, he rejected them. His failure was to let that idea prevents him from restraining the military. Whicb essentially went rogue and invaded Manchuria without authorization from the government.

[@SuperCrazf]

There’s still debate as to whether he really took responsibility of his actions or more that he got immunity for his inaction and see all that happened after the surrender as a way to get immunity

[@doctordetroit4339]

He led but didn't rule.....it's complicated. Regardless, he was a useful stooge.

[@GaryCameron]

He was kind of like the king of England. Everything is done in his name, although he really just rubber stamps what the ministers are deciding.

[@allangibson8494]

The new Japanese constitution was based on the Australian constitution (because Britain doesn’t have a written constitution, the United States didn’t have a monarchy (say thanks to the Supreme Court for changing that) and there were dozens of Australian lawyers in Japan for the war crimes trials)).

[@Roamor1]

Congrats on 1M, well deserved!

[@treystephens6166]

1M poopy butts 💩

[@901Sherman]

So glad you guys have finally hit a million subs. Can't wait for more post war related content

[@brammo1991]

Thank you for the epiloge episode, this stuff is as interesting as the actual war itself.

[@WorldWarTwo]

More to come, stay tuned.

[@JeffBishop_KB3QMT]

My father always told me that his ship, the San Juan, was the first to arrive in Tokyo Harbor at the end of the way. The San Juan was just a light cruiser, but it did have 12 battle stars, which is still respectable.

[@franciscoacevedo3036]

Douglas McArthur would have a heart atk seeing the deep south partake in their own emperor wroshpi

[@amcalabrese1]

My father served in the Korean War and would go to Japan for rest. The Japanese quickly accepted the changes. He felt very positive toward the Japanese and would never allow people to say bad things about modern Japan around him.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

US and other Western servicemen would go to Japan for R&R while taking part in the Korean War. They often had positive views of Japan as a result, only five or so years after WW2. They often had negative views of Korea. Sometimes temporary Japanese girl friends would say to them as they left, "You Choson go?" And look at them sympathetically. _Choson_ is Korea.

[@amcalabrese1]

@@stevekaczynski3793 My dad always had a positive view of Koreans. The ones he served with he said were very good as long as properly trained, equipped, and lead. But given the circumstances, he was limited into where and what he could do in Korea. when off the line My dad did have a Japanese girlfriend he visited when on leave.

[@tommonk7651]

Same with my dad. He was stationed for awhile before heading to Korea. He was always fascinated with Japanese culture….

[@tigertank06]

@@amcalabrese1Did he have that girlfriend while dating your mom?

[@amcalabrese1]

@@tigertank06 No. he did not start dating my mom until 1955.

[@mrmykids05]

As always, an outstanding piece of research and presentation.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you.

[@toastnjam7384]

Dad was a camp guard for POW'S in the US and his last assignment before being discharged was escorting Japanese POW's back to Japan where he stayed for a couple of months. He was very apprehensive on he'll be treated by the Japanese, but they were nice and very polite. He said if it wasn't for the bomb damage you would have never thought the two nations were recently at war. He also said commodities like cigarettes, soap, toothpaste, etc was as good as gold.

[@RandomDudeOne]

Congrats on a million subs.

[@michaelshelton5488]

MacArthur was basically a shogun

[@johns8364]

And the Japanese addressed him as such. The concept of a General coming in and taking over wasn't foreign to them.

[@aznsbd]

My middle school history teacher served as a policeman during the occupation of Japan. Rest in Peace Mr. Berard.

[@sheevpalpatine2901]

Congrats on 1 million Timeghost

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks!

[@annehersey9895]

We found out in your episode where the Emperor’s radio speech to his people to ‘endure the unendurable’, that most Japanese had never even heard the emperor speak before. To see here, Hirohito meeting the public, speaking to individual soldiers and even schoolchildren was something heretofore unheard of! Being “Divine “ he was almost a mythical figure who was sometimes seen on his white horse or in his car but not, like today where he interacts with the regular people at times.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I read that the archaic court Japanese he used in the broadcast was poorly understood by many listeners.

[@annehersey9895]

@@stevekaczynski3793 Yes, I heard that too and very few had ever heard him talk they weren’t even sure it really was the Emperor.

[@criso6164]

Just noticed you have finally broken 1M subscribers. Well done, stunned it has taken so long. Thanks again for delivering the best documentary channel on any platform 👍

[@gunman47]

On the topic of the occupation of Japan after the recent surrender, the 2012 film *Emperor* comes to mind, where it does a somewhat fair (though maybe dry) coverage of some of the post-war events in Japan, such as determining the guilt of Emperor Hirohito & the historical photo of General Douglas MacArthur & the Emperor together at their first meeting at the US Embassy on September 27 1945. On a side note, another film that is noteworthy is the 2015 Japanese film *The Emperor in August* (日本のいちばん長い日), about the events in the last months of the war in Japan, such as the bombing of Tokyo, the reactions to the Postdam Declaration, as well as the Kyūjō incident / failed military coup during the last days of the war.

[@danendraabyantara2931]

Yes, also the occupation of japan gives us a strategic base for southeast operation in korea and vietnam 😎

[@aaroncabatingan5238]

​@@danendraabyantara2931Nobody asked

[@kudukilla]

Yet another recent movie regarding feelings of postwar Japan is strangely enough Godzilla Minus One.

[@danendraabyantara2931]

@@aaroncabatingan5238 you okay, you seem intense 😅

[@Warmaker01]

The Kyujo Incident surprised the hell out of me. I didn't know about it until only a few years ago.

[@danielstickney2400]

Years ago I read an article in the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's *Army Motors* magazine about an Australian constabulary unit on occupation duty in rural Japan, They had to patrol in jeeps because there wasn't a single bridge in their entire operations area capable of supporting the six ton weight of a Staghound armored car. This worked in their favor because the locals quickly learned the much-feared foreign devils were actually a bunch of smiling young men driving around in Jeeps giving food and candy to their children and far less high-handed than their own prior civil administration.

[@alandye6471]

So glad to see this episode! There is so little coverage of the US occupation of Japan (all the way through 1952) and it was such an amazing, and unique bit of history! I highly recommend reading "Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II" by John W. Dower, if you want a detailed account of this fascinating story. I hope that the channel will continue to follow post-war Japan and Europe!

[@mike83ny]

My Dad was part of the Occupation Force in Japan and he was shocked that the Japanese he met were so friendly and polite. He couldn't believe how, in the years before, he was being told that they were monsters bent on world domination.

[@rrice1705]

There likely was a nugget of truth to what your dad was told, but only with respect to their leadership.

[@spudgunn8695]

People are people. Leaders are unspeakable (insert epithet of your choice here!) in general.

[@irondwarf66]

​@rrice1705 that's the lie. Japan had no real individualism. They celebrated their war crimes until they lost. We know this from their own newspapers

[@bobs_toys]

People in areas they'd conquered had no problems believing it.

[@rangerwickett]

Newspapers that were censored and punished if they didn't push the party line. ​@@irondwarf66

[@porksterbob]

Two things: 1) it would have been nice to hear about the other japanese deportees from taiwan, korea, and China outside of Manchuria. 2) I am hoping this is covered in a WAH episode, but Macarthur was criticized for extending the imperial immunity beyond just hirohito. Lots of princes and other royal relatives were involved in some of the worst japanese war crimes... But they got off scot free because they were related to hirohito.

[@danendraabyantara2931]

Atleast macarthur allowed japan to build jsdf again 😅

[@p.n.hajime7633]

This is actually important topic so I'll just post what I know. I think this post is in direct reference to Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, a criminal prince, who was directly involved in the Rape of Nanjing. Prince Yasuhiko, along with Hirohito and Prince Kan'in, formed the war enthusiast faction in the royal family. He was, as you say, pardoned, thanks (partly to) MacArthur. However, unlike your post, some of the royal family members were indeed tried and found guilty. Actually, most of imperial member with military ranks were removed from office. For example, Prince Nashimoto was tried for "class A" war criminal and Count Komatsu was punished as "class BC" war criminal. Prince Chichibu, Haruhito, Kaya and Marquis Yoshimaro were amongst many who were driven out of office. And for those who's wondering, the other war monger in the imperial family, Prince Kan'in, who was important figure in invasion of Manchuria and forming of Tripartite Pact were never tried as he died in May of 1945, month before the wars end. Amongst other important royal military figures to be directly involved in the war effort were, from my knowledge, were Prince Naruhiko and Prince Kaya. Prince Naruhiko was pacifist and democrat, so its totally understandable he dodged the axe. Prince Kaya, I donno, maybe because he was an Americanophile? but he at least were sentenced out of office. tbh, why punish most guys but not the guy who was directly a war criminal, is beyond my belief.

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

@@p.n.hajime7633, politics and war are messy. Sociologists knew that the people would not fight a war of attrition if the emperor told them not to.

[@mitchellsmith4690]

I remember back in 1978, taking Military Science as a 4th class cadet, my Prof (an infantry captain) said of MacArthur that "...they made him king of Japan."

[@jadenpokemon8952]

This series has truly taught me so much, thank you everyone who has made this series possible.

[@anthonygray333]

Love this Episode of “Between Two MORE Wars”!

[@ives3572]

“We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war.” -- Radio broadcast after the surrender of the Japan on the battleship USS Missouri officially ending World War II

[@cheften2mk]

To think Hirohito only died in *1989*

[@Kubinda12345]

He was born in 1901 so him dying in 1989 at age 87 isn't that insane. But I agree with that sentiment that it's kind of weird knowing that a leader of a WW2 power died so many years after the war ended.

[@HossBlacksilver]

​​@@Kubinda12345Wasn't he the last of the WW2 leaders?

[@refi7976]

@@HossBlacksilver King Michael of Romainia (born 1921 reigned 1940-1947) died in 2017) Took part in in the 2010 Victory parade is Moscow as the last living allied (and axis) commander in chief.

[@tkm238-d4r]

@@refi7976 Thanks for the info. An additional note was that as of 2020, QE2 was apparently the last known allied head of state or head of gov who previously had WW2-related service. Not sure if QE2 ever attended Moscow parade from 1985 - 2020. Clarifications welcome.

[@jonathanwebster7091]

​@@HossBlacksilvernot a belligerent in the war, but the present Dalai Lama (and of course, Tibet's status as an independent state was controversial even then) is the same one as the present one-he had succeeded his predecessor in the 1930s as a small boy. Tibet was of course, de facto independent at the time of WW2 until it's conquest by communist China. Another wartime Head of State (though purely a figurehead one) who is still alive is Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria, who succeeded his father Boris III when he died in suspicious circumstances after a visit to Hitler. Like the Dalai Lama, he was only a small boy when he succeeded his father, and regents ruled in his name until the monarchy was abolished under the communists in 1946. He is now in his 80s. Also fun fact: he became the democratically elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 2001 for a few years. So that's two Heads of State from World War Two who are still alive.

[@robertbloch1063]

Awesome special. Many thanks. And congratulations on 1M subs! This is truly mega ;)

[@michaelprivate8115]

Just found your channel- as a history buff subscribed and liked. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos. Well done Sir!

[@nomis777]

Superb episode

[@LinksRoyal]

im quite fascinated with the reforms and changes mentioned. would really wish for a part two of this topic. but im thankful for all the amazing content !

[@Mondo762]

I was born in Occupied Japan. Tachikawa Air Force Base in Tokyo. My father was a US Army Officer that had fought in the Pacific Theater.

[@mojothehelpermonkey1176]

It’s honestly refreshing to see people learning from mistakes of the past. After ww1 they knew they couldn’t just keep beating the axis into the dirt even after the war or it would just never end.

[@michalmaixner3318]

One could argue the same lesson was what allowed WW2 in the first place. WW2 was not started by nation that was being beaten by other powers into the dirt. It was started by nation that was being "appeased" and integrated into Europe.

[@renemuller7383]

@@michalmaixner3318 : define "integrated into europe" please. then again.. it could also be argued that 2 out of the 3 axis-nation's that started the wars of aggression which merged into the second world war, where actually on the allies (winning)side during WW1.. namely Italy and Japan, with germany being the only agressor-nation that lost in WW1 ( depending how you want to factor in the Integration of Austria in all that of course ) and it is also important to note that the NSDAP not only believed but also succesfully propagandized that germany is being beaten/held down by the treaty of versailles meaning that the perception played a bigger part than the actually status of "german integration".

[@korbell1089]

Thank you Time Ghost. After locking in a block of my Saturdays for the past 6 years to make sure I watched your videos, I was wondering what I was going to do now, but as soon as I opened up YT, I found that it was a question for another week!👍

[@WorldWarTwo]

We will continue to release episodes every Saturday! See you next week.

[@tommonk7651]

Monumental series, folks. Thanks for the amazing work….

[@outlet6989]

Congregations on 1M subscribers. If you can find another war to cover, you'll get to 2M.

[@rskulas]

Another great job Indy!

[@seanlander9321]

Nope, he got the Australian part wrong. Britain and the Commonwealth were part of the Australian occupation force, Australia even paid for the British, that’s why Attlee eventually agreed to contribute.

[@jonbaxter2254]

The fact that America did this after totally beating their foe is insane, when you think about historical powers that completely dominate their enemy.

[@Pirusiandres]

Congratulatiuon on your 1M subs!

[@gunsaway1]

I have enjoyed all of your series. Look forward every week for a new one thanks so much for your hard work.

[@Kartoffelwerfer]

Congratulations on 1 million subscribers!

[@JarodFarrant]

Congratulations on reaching over 1 million subscribers, you are now in an elite group of KZbinrs. ❤

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy Interesting epilogue. Its no wonder japan is so powerful now because of their resilence. Cpngratulation Time ghost team for one million subscribers. You truly deserve it. Thanks.

[@McRocket]

Fascinating video. Thank you. ☮

[@micahknapp7109]

Usual great episode I am accustomed to. And to go along with the outfit is too!

[@konst80hum]

Excellent as always!

[@peachezprogramming]

Just found this channel today - chat should I watch the whole thing??

[@josedavidgarcesceballos7]

Question: any future home front special episodes? Cheers.

[@sailordude2094]

Thanks! Great analysis. Ever watch American Caesar narrated by John Huston? It's been uploaded, a 4 hour series. I love the access KZbin gives us now compared to broadcast TV days.

[@cowhand6112]

Mr. Shockley (a man I knew) was one of the cogs at Mac Arthur's headquarters. Found this out in the 90's. He said he'd see Mac around at various times and depending on the circumstances would sometimes need to salute and other times it wasn't necessary. He could still speak and read some Japanese. World War II was truly a near universal experience for the entire world's population.

[@thomasheaney2087]

Excellent thanks

[@IHF]

Its fascinating how the occupation of Japan from a military perspective played a hand in our ability to respond to Korea. For example, the 3rd Bomb Group was one force that was ordered to participate in the occupation of Japan in 1945 and arrived at Johnson Field with 4 squadrons and just over 100 A-26 Invader light attack bombers. They would mostly conduct patrol and then training flights over the next 5 years. Their numbers would gradually dwindle as airframes reaching retirement would not be replaced. By 1950 they had been reduced to 3 squadrons with only 27 operational aircraft between them. When hostilities broke out in Korea, they were the closest American aircraft and delivered the first bombing missions of the Korean War.

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

Is there going to be an epilogue episode on the various local surrenders of Japanese forces? They went on until the beginning of December.

[@danendraabyantara2931]

All japanese holdouts still don't want surrender and hiding in jungles across asia until 2005

[@ItsAVolcano]

Those shipments of grain would help lead to Japan being one of the few East Asian countries with a significant bread eating culture in modern day. The US even helped with the construction of hundreds of communal ovens across Japan.

[@skot8692]

World War Two saturdays continue to live on! it feels like that with the end of the biggest war in Europe, TimeGhost just grows even larger. Keep up the work guys, thanks for giving us all of what you do.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Yep! They aren't going anywhere, thanks for the sweet comment.

[@salty4496]

Congratulations on 1M subscribers :)

[@derrickstorm6976]

That's one gorgeous tie, Indy

[@skyden24195]

I am enthused to learn more details about the post WWII occupation of Japan and the subsequent reformation process as, throughout the years of my life, I have encountered much more coverage on the European (Germany in particular) occupation, rebuild and reforms. I believe this to be mostly due to the inevitable "Cold War" implications and related factors that were blatantly apparent in the European reconstruction, thus pushing the events pertaining to Europe's history post WWII into the forefront of discussed historical information and subsequently sidelining the information regarding Japan's immediate post WWII historic rebuild and reform.

[@Vin_San]

Congratulations for the millions subscribers!!!

[@poiuyt975]

MacArthur might be the best example of a enlightened dictator, even though himself restricted by his own government. He had the (nearly) absolute power, but worked diligently to create a stable parliamentary system which would eventually not require his presence at all.

[@indianajones4321]

It has been a pleasure watching this series for the past… almost 6 years! Wow, where did the time go? It’s also been over 10 years since The Great War began! I now have 2 college degrees and am getting ready to go into the US Army. Who knows where I’ll be when Korea ends!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Let's go for another decade! Thanks for being with us so long,

[@r.scottmacleod4564]

CONGRATULTAIONS on reaching 1 million subscribers...very well done!

[@ablackghostmyguy3741]

After 6 years no more Saturday episodes? Man it's gonna take some time getting use too

[@mt_baldwin]

The Gaijin Shogun. MacArthur certainly fits the description of a shogun.

[@finscreenname]

Great work as always folks!! 👍👍

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@DaveE7492]

6:01 It'd be a lot worse now if a giant radioactive mutated dinosaur showed up.

[@SuperCrazf]

Excellent video as always. The whole declaration of humanity by the emperor is interesting because the Japanese version of the text uses certain words that put into question if the emperor really renounced his divinity. Some Japanese conservatives when asked about it insist that the emperor is still divine, but that the Japanese definition of divine is inherently different from the western one. But that’s a topic for another time. We can debate all day whether or not the actions done in the Japanese occupation were good or bad (scholars definitely do to this day). But for better and worse, a new Japan is now born out of the ashes of war

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks TG

[@patrickcarroll5908]

I was stationed in Atsugi in the late seventies and I didn’t know the history of the base till today

[@angusmatheson9997]

I’m trying to go back to the beginning. I’d love to see the ww II week by week for that week pinned to the episode. It is amazing how close just before September 9th WW II

[@NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek]

Brilliant!!!

[@idolhanz9842]

Awesome presentation...it's as if you were there and witnessed everything.

[@seanlander9321]

Britain was not prepared to honour its commitment to occupy Japan. Attlee had to be convinced, and only agreed after the Australians paid for the British, which is one of the reasons the British were part of the Australian occupation force, and why the Australians had to consequently reduce their numbers. After a few years the British will do a runner, while Australia stays in occupation until the Korean War. Time Team consistently ignore that the British did not take the fight to Japan, it was Australia with America, and for MacArthur he would never have permitted the British to command the Australians (not even in Korea).

[@divarachelenvy]

well said mate.

[@BigTiBu]

I'm unaware of MacArthur having any say in it. He was fired in April 1951 before the 1st Commonwealth Division even came into being. (Spoilers!) Yes, Administrative command of British Commonwealth Forces Korea was always held by an Australian, exactly because of the fact that Australia was providing the most manpower and running admin for British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. The Commanding Officer of the Commonwealth Division was held by 3 British Major Generals, and the Commonwealth forces in 27th Inf Brigade prior to 1CD were under Coad (Also British). As for the occupation; it was a vanity project and history doesn't happen in a vacuum. The war had bankrupted the UK and yet were still occupying a third of Germany, as well as rebuilding the country, setting up the NHS, and clinging onto the Empire.

[@seanlander9321]

@@BigTiBu BCFK was formed in 1950, it always had an Australian commander.

[@BigTiBu]

@@seanlander9321 yes I know, I literally said that it did.

[@seanlander9321]

@@BigTiBu With Britain being part of the Australian force in Korea from when MacArthur was the supreme commander of the UN forces, what relevance does any lower level British staff in the Australian command have to do with MacArthur being dismissed afterwards?

[@kenmcdougal97]

My Dad was stationed in Nagoya Japan in 1948 for 6 years i have a sister that born there

[@kiwifruit27]

Congrats on 1m subs 😊well deserved

[@brucemace5404]

This was General Douglas MacArthur at his very best The occupation of Japan Of course he made mistakes Small ones and very few big mistakes But he was great in this roll no matter what he did before or after

[@DouglaszillaAweome]

True indeed. The General of the Army, despite his flaws and mistakes, he was the best to us also Filipinos in the Philippines. He did his very best in Asia.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@DouglaszillaAweome When he finally returned to the USA in 1951, I believe he had not been there for something like two decades, even for a holiday.

[@GaryCameron]

He was very lucky not to have been sacked or left to rot like Kimmel over his abysmal defense of the Philippines at the outset.

[@incomitatus]

On the day the war ended in the Pacific, my dad was on a US Marine transport ship headed to the Philippines where US troops were massing for the coming invasion of Japan. His unit was scheduled to be in the second wave of the proposed invasion. Eventually his ship & unit were detoured to North China to serve as an occupation force to help disarm the Japanese military there. I still have photos of him on guard duty in North China with different Japanese soldiers who were serving as auxiliaries to help the Marines police their area of operations. He told us when they arrived in China most of the areas outside major towns were controlled by local warlords. Without the help of demobilized Japanese troops, there was no way the Marines had enough troops to restore some kind of order.

[@worldofdoom995]

Yoko Ono was able to survive the firebombing of Tokyo in a bunker since her family was somewhat wealthy. they had to sell everything to get food and leave the city afterward.

[@thomasmerlen7807]

Thanks great work

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for watching.

[@Nearly-famous-painter1960]

During the occupation, the Japanese made a lot of tin type toys for the US. I have two different railroad toys from that time. A train, and a wind up hand car with two figures that go up and down with the handcar levers. Later, they started producing brass models of American locomotives in various scales. The craftsmanship of these models is hard to beat and I have a few of them in HO scale. Some get a good dollar today.

[@mrlodwick]

U and the crew rock!

[@gilwhitmore9682]

Putting all of your eggs into a single person's basket has yielded mixed results. There have been some good ones, and then there are the rest. Those resulted in the need for the creation of this series. Never forget.

[@roddbrindley2991]

Congratulations of 1 million Subscribers! It's well deserved!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you very much!

[@Careah]

Thanks for the ride

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the superchat!

[@dwightdonnelly8662]

I live in Japan, my fiance is Japanese. She lost two grandparents in the south pacific. Her father has has mentioned that the Japanese people were grateful tAmerica and McArthur were in control of Japan and not Russia and or China.

[@jimirayo]

My old neighbor, Dan Terry (RIP) was one of McArthur's aides. He was present for the occupation. He could be in some of that footage but I don't know. After the war he played with Count Basie, rebuilt Hammond organs (he was an excellent keyboardist) and would put electric motors on adult tricycles and sell them. He was a fascinating old guy. Rest Easy Dan! I miss ya buddy!