Japan in the Wake of World War II - Embracing Defeat

'Embracing Defeat' is a Pulitzer prize winning portrait of Japanese society after the defeat in WW2. It is a wide ranging survey, which, despite some guiding themes, often feels more like a collection of essays than a unified work.

There are, I think, several questions of great interest to the contemporary reader about Japan. One would probably be most interested in learning about how Japan dealt with the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; how Japan turned from a racist, imperialist country into a democratic and pacifistic one; and how Japan not only recovered from the economic devastation of the war, but finally became one of the world's leading powers.

Strangely, Professor Dower seem to give peripheral attention at best to the first and third question, and pays most attention to the second, as well as to minuet study of the interactions between the US occupation force and the Japanese population. He also focuses mostly on the early years of the occupation, up to 1949 or so, as if a chapter or two on the outbreak of the cold war were planned but later discarded.

Much of the book is 'social history' - a depiction not so much of the leading characters and figures, but of sociological and economic trends. All too often, Dower fall into the trap of this kind of writing - describing things that, for any observer with the slightest knowledge of the society, would be patently obvious. Who could fail to anticipate poverty and corruption in a country devastated by war? Given the existence of rationing, every one who ever took any economic course can predict the appearance of a black market. And obviously, a country that lost millions of its young population in war would pay more attention to its own casualties than to those of the former enemies.

One of the great advantages of social history is that it lends itself to quantitative, statistical analysis. Surprisingly, Dower hardly ever mentions public polls, and rarely attempts to quantify his observations about opinions as expressed in media articles. His use of economic statistics is only somewhat better. There is an old historian's maxim which goes "don't guess, try to count, and if you can't count, admit that you're guessing". Unfortunately, Dower fails to conform. I think that his analysis is robbed of much of its power because of this.

The central theme of the book is the paradoxes of 'Democracy from Above' - the US enforced an authoritarian rule to make people free. It is' of course an interesting paradox, but Dower's exploration of it is only as good as the specific topics in which he engages.

By far the best part of the book deals with American 'wedge strategy', the attempt to distinguish between the Emperor and the military government headed by Tojo. Most of part 4, dealing with the wedge strategy and the formation of the Japanese constitution are nothing short of breathtaking, as they explore the intrigue and politics of occupied Japan, and of Japan vis a vis the United States and the world. The image of McArthur, strangely aloof from Japanese culture, and yet also admired and dedicated for change, is an intriguing and well realized one.

Also interesting is Dower's report on (and especially criticism of) the War Crime trials. Although I was left unconvinced that the Japanese would have done a better job judging the war criminals themselves, it is a powerful demonstration of the great problematic nature of international law, which is in essence, as Dower calls it, Victor's Justice.

Ultimately, though, it is hard to see a clear plan in the book, and Dower's afterward, in which he attempts to pull everything together, feels shallow (but interesting). In it he for the first time engages fully the economic leap forward Japan took in the 1960s. Dower argues that the key to Japan's industrialization lies in the '15 years war', starting with the commencement of hostilities with China in 1931. Japan in the second half of the twentieth century, having renounced its militarism, came to excel in the other field open to it - economics.

For people who, like me, are trying to understand how Japan became the leading economic power it is today and how other countries could learn from its example. Dower's book supplies no answer. Its failures of narrative prevent it, in my opinion, from reaching the status of a classic. Yet for all its faults, Embracing Defeat is an interesting, informative and readable study of Japan after the war.

John Dower's book Embracing Defeat is an attempt to provide an understanding of the Japanese by supplying a history from their perspective. By learning what life was like for the Japanese during U.S. occupation, which occurred right after World War II we come to understand the Japanese better. One way he provides this understanding is by using examples of individuals alive during this time period. When he talks about the hardships that veterans dealt with he quotes one from a newspaper. "Writing from a sanitarium, he describes the suicides of despairing fellow convalescents and concluded with the announcement that 'I myself am five minutes away from hanging,'" (Dower 61). By reading about individual the reader can see the emotions of the Japanese during this time. Right in the beginning Dower starts off with the story of a woman, Aihara Yu. "For three years, Aihara continued to pray for her husband's return. Only then did she learn that he had been killed in a battle with Soviet forces five days before she was summoned from the fields to hear her sovereign's voice," (Dower 34). Dower also uses statistics to validate the claims he makes. "A survey of families of elementary-school students found that in mid-1946 gruel took the place of boiled rice at least once a day. For a quarter of the families, gruel constituted the major part of all meals," (Dower 94). This brings out the food shortages that many Japanese families faced. To compliment the stories of individuals and statistics Dower uses many photographs. When he talks about how Japanese children's games were influenced by what was going on around them there is a picture of children pretending to be a GI and prostitute (Dower 111). When he discusses the writing of a new Japanese constitution a picture of a Middle school book is shown called The Story of the New Constitution (Dower 399). Another part of Dower's writing that allows the reader to get a full understanding of the occupation is his ability to write without discrimination. This is a problem in the majority of history books. Too often America is portrayed as the heroes going in and bringing Democracy to the primitive Japanese culture. "American decision to adopt a hands-off policy toward economic reconstruction seemed perfectly natural. Misery was accepted as proper punishment for a defeated adversary that had brought so much misery to others. It was in any case inconceivable to think of assisting in Japanese reconstruction when America's own allies were struggling to recover from the devastation of the recent war," (Dower 89). This explains why America did not help Japan's economic recovery, while at the same time it does not make Americans seem like bad guys. The problem with Embracing Defeat is it is sometimes too detailed. As Dower goes from subject to subject fully discussing each one before mentioning another some things are mentioned over and over. Like the Black Market, which is mentioned constantly. But as the point of the writing seems to be to fully show what the occupation was like for Japan this repetition of certain things is unavoidable. Ultimately what makes Embracing Defeat such a good book is the complete picture it paints. The Statistics, details, stories and picture combine together in a way without prejudice allowing the readers to make their own decisions about this history.

The beginning of this book is great. It provides a very readable and informative look at the state of Japan at the beginning of the US occupation at the end of WWII. However, later in the book I feel it drags too much and tries to present too much information. So, while I enjoyed the first 300 pages very much I did not like the 2nd half. The author I feel is also a little to sympathetic to the Japanese. Yes, Its reasonable to feel bad for all the displaced Japanese soldiers in Korea, China etc....but i the author i feel overlooks why those soldiers were there and what they did. Again, the book is well researched and at times brilliant. But I feel it is too long and at times just a bit too Pro-Japanese. I recommend after reading this book that you read the novel "The Emperors General."

the only flaw is that Dower brings up various radical writers and tells the reader how the writer's writings were. This book needs more, and longer, direct quotes (in trans. of course)[cf. Spence, The Gate of Heaveny Peace}.
Assertion is weak, but bald statement based on nothing is weaker still.
This is a rivetting read, but and it needs more to sustain historical mettle.
But ED blows 'Hirohito' and 'Fallen' out of the water--in terms of interest, readability, and information. These books are solid thesie, i.e., Hirohito is guilty, the A-bomb saved lives. Very true and well proven, but such does not make an interseting 500+ read. ED shows you things you never knew, and it upsets things you think you knew yet knew not.
It could be all wrong, but it shows a vacuum by its existence, and it will lead to more work.
Seminal.

Dower's book has been widely praised among Japan hands and that admiration is justly accorded. He gives a balanced account of the American occupation of Japan and makes often provocative, though well thought out points that have often been neglected in earlier accounts of this period in the Japan-U.S. relationship. His thoughts on the emperor's war responsibility and the dubious nature of war crimes trials are especially salient. Moreover, being something of a fan of Japanese pop culture, I found his discussion of how popular media of the time reflected evolving Japanese attitudes to be fascinating. The only place where this lacks for me is that he doesn't really go enough into broader diplomatic questions about the Japan-U.S. relationship. For those like me who like to read several books at the same time, I would suggest that one read Shaller's ALTERED STATES: THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN SINCE THE OCCUPATION concurrently with Dower's book to get a more robust assessment of that issue. Nonetheless, for anyone interested in Japan, this is essential reading.

I read this book in light of America's current political situation as occupier in Iraq, to learn what we had done in the past and if there might be some applicable lessons from this.
Dower's book is well-written, easy-to-read and fascinating even for people like me who do not know a lot about Japan or its history. Each chapter looks at a different facet of the occupation in vague chronological order - from the defeat of Japan - what it meant to both Americans and to Japanese, to the welcome of occupiers (no wonder we thought it would be easier in Iraq!), to the social, political and economic implications of the occupation. Lastly it looks at transformations to move Japan out of its war-time era - the writing of a new Constitution (shocking!), and the war-crimes tribunal. Dower is wonderfully honest and perceptive in potraying what happened - both the positive and negative, and with an understanding of the time and circumstances in which decisions were made. In the end, not much will be applicable to our current occupation, except perhaps the need for strong leadership - but would we really want MacArthur as a role model? More than anything, I learned that each situation really is unique - to the country, and to the people involved.
Ironically, of all the "Iraq books" I've read over the past few months, this is one of the most relevent!

Yes. But it was probably a bit much to get a definitive answer, even from John Dower's fine book. He does discuss the subject at some length. That & the war trails were my favorite parts of the book (audio).
It served American foreign policy at the time to not prosecute Hirohito & leave him on the throne. It allowed Japanese to cling to a shred of pride that indeed, they did not surrender unconditionally. It made occupation much easier & assured civil peace. Actually he was a criminal but many of his ministers & generals were willing to die for their emperor. So they did. He was quite willing to let them. What a man. The Japanese hero worship of General McArthur was almost embarassing. I don't know why, but I thought of the reverence we once held for George Washington in the 18th century. The Japanese got over McArthur.
The irony is the decidely undemocratic way we imposed democracy on Japan. Apparently nobody listen to the unabridged audio version as I did.

Easily one of the best books I have read on this subject. It is even-handed and surprising in its revelations. It truly made me wonder what would have happened to us had WE lost the Pacific War.

It is crammed full of information and told in a very even, steady manner. It covers a very broad series of topics concerning racism, popular culture, the black markets, government policies pre and post occupation without losing any momentum or intent. We all know about Pearl Harbor and the battles across the atolls, but what happened after the capitulation?

A definite must read.

Perhaps a little too scholarly for the general reader. Too much emphasis on obscure literary magazines for my taste, and not enough emphasis on exciting episodes. For example, the author enitrely skips the almost comic (but violent) attempt by fanatical officers to hijak the tape recording of the emperor's famous surrender message before it was broadcast.
Still, contains much interesting stuff, and I imagine it would be particularly appealing to post-modern literary types. Photographs also fascinating.

Extremely well researched, and it gives you a wide picture of what happen during the occupation. Plus as a human study, its interesting to see how one people reacted to be defeated and occupied. The only problem is that you learn about everything, there is a myriad of information and sometimes you ask yourself if you really care about the tiny details

One of the best history books I've read. Period. The information can seem a bit confusing at times (because of the similarity of Japanese names, from an American perspective at least) but this is just astounding work. The chapter on prostitution is flawless.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but struggled to finish it. The main thesis of the book is that because the Americans refused to indict the Japanese emperor Hirohito as a war criminal or even permit him to abdicate, Japan's entire democratization process was suspect from the beginning. What also didn't help matters is that, to combat the Leftist menace, the Americans put back into power (the "re-purge") those militarists and nationalists they purged in the first place. And it was ironic that the man chose to implement democracy in Japan was probably the most anti-democratic of them all: Douglas MacArthur.

There's nothing wrong with the thesis. It's just that this book is written in the dry academic tone and style that forces undergradutes to run to their Facebook and weep.

Embracing Defeat is an authoritatively researched and beautifully written account of the U.S. occupation of Japan by a leading specialist on World War II, Japan and the U.S.-Japan relationship. This is a work that pulls no punches. Like no earlier study, it brings to the fore the ironies and contradictions of the era and casts fresh light on several of the great political issues of the era: the making of Japan's postwar constitution, U.S.-Japan relations, the reconstruction of economy and society, the role of Japan in the making of the U.S. order in Asia, and the role of MacArthur. It also offers the first cultural history of the occupation.It is particularly valuable in bringing out Japanese contributions to shaping occupation outcomes. Embracing Defeat is a pleasure to read.Dower takes the reader on a tour that reveals ambiguity, irony, fallibility, vitality, dynamism, messianic fervor, theatre of the absurd, the world turned upside down, fall and redemption, flotsam and jetsam on a sea of self-indugence, cynical opportunism, top-to-bottom corruption, delicacy and degeneration, despondency and dreams, tragedy and farce, boggling fatuity, and carnival, to mention a few of the polarities that run through this beautifully written and astute volume.

Other reviewers have summarized this book's strengths and weaknesses. This book ranks with the best histories ever written in the 20th century. Great historiography, wonderfully fluid writing, compassionate views of the Japanese and Americans: all these add up to a great read.

Outstanding historical document. I was in Japan in 1951-1952 and again in 1986 and this book explained many things that had confused me. Although I served under MacArthur in the Korean War and have very little respect for some of his decisions, (maybe he was just too old), I have a high regard for his decisions about the occupation and the new Constitution and the judgement of retaining the Emperor.

I learned more about Japanese culture from "Embracing Defeat" than from any other book on Japan, and I've read many. Before, I thought the Japanese were very mysterious. Now I'm beginning to feel that they are pretty much like westerners. The "inscrutible Oriental" is a misconception dating to pre-WWII.
My only criticism of "Embracing Defeat" is that the author is strongly pro-Japanese and anti-American. Is it true that the American occupation forces were arrogant, power-hungry, and stupid? Was McArthur inept? I would like to think that the author exaggerated.

The official reviews are right: this is a fabulous book about the American occupation of Japan. Dower's approach is thematic, not chronological, and he "slices through" the subject in many different ways, political, social, cultural, anecdotal. The pictures alone, starting with the cover photo of a Japanese village listening to the Emperor's surrender speech, are an education.

Professor Dower has done an incredible effort on EMBRACING DEFEAT. Having read my share of historical texts about modern Japan, its role in World War II, and its Post-War identity crisis, I can safely say that this is one of the best books available on the subject. Well researched, insightful, and a joy to read.

Mr. Dower's discussions of the Japanese economy, culture and constitution are incredibly well done, easy to read, and educational. Parts of his discussions of censorship by occupation forces and the war crimes trials seem to drag and take on a strident tone. In all, it is an exceptional book.

I'm more of a historical novel reader, because great novels like "The Triumph and the Glory" or "The Emperor's General" usually more interesting than history volumes. But Embracing Defeat is very well-written and commanded my interest from start to finish.

Dower must have gone to some other country. I served in Japan, did close -order drill on the Emperor's front lawn, learned a bit of the language, studied under the leading expert on Japanese history, spent a sabattical year in Japan - and more - and I think Dower's picture is absurd and harmful. I'm not alone; all the GI's I knew felt very much at home in Japan. It's a great country - every outfit has its scoundrels. Japan is the world's leading creditor; we are the greatest debtor. Japan's pre-war economic aims have been achieved and surpassed. It's hard to say what our aims were, and the Occupation's floundering provides no clues. Dower's ethnocentrism is embarrassing.

The tone is set early when Dower insists on referring to Japanese people with their family name first and their given name second, as is the custom when writing and speaking IN JAPANESE. The first 100 or so pages describe the hardships endured by post-war Japanese. Dower then concentrates on the relations between the locals and the American Occupation forces, who are constantly referred to as "conquerors" and portrayed as conceited, racist rubes having their way with Japanese women whenever the urge comes over them. 20 pages are devoted to the armed forces use of prostitutes who, Dower suggests, were actually innocent patriots sacrificing their bodies so the barbarian Americans would not rape and pillage at will, as the Japanese armed forces did so thoroughly throughout Asia.
Dower, with the acknowledged help of his Japanese wife, portrays post-war Japanese as downtrodden victims subjected to extreme hardships by uncaring Occupation forces:
American aid to the Japanese people is fleetingly mentioned in a sentence or two as soldiers tossing some gum and chocolate bars to starving kids as the soldiers zipped by in their jeeps.
Dower consistently uses this image of poor, starving Japanese and wealthy-beyond-comprehension Americans to propogate the standard Japanese line of thinking that they were powerless pawns of an overbearing conqueror. Whether that overbearing force is Japanese military zealots or foolish American Occupation forces, Dower never holds the Japanese people accountable for the problems within Japanese society.
In regards to the war trials, Dower's anti-American sentiments burst forth. He holds the Allied efforts to a standard of 100% perfection developed after 50 years of post-war research and investigation. Dower disputes the moral authority of the Americans to even conduct the trials and actually suggests that the Japanese themselves were capable of prosecuting those responsible for the war atrocities despite the non-existent opposition to the war among the Japanese people. He calls the death sentences controversial and shockingly portrays Tojo and his ilk in a favorable light, saving his criticism for the Americans who failed to put the emperor on trial and belittling the credentials of the presiding judges.
Predictably, Dower equates the use of the atomic bombs that ended the war to the massive rape and killing of civilians by the Japanese forces throughout Asia. He conveniently fails to mention the hundreds of thousands of lives saved - American, Japanese, and especially other Asians ruthlessly controlled by the Japanese - by ending the war in such a manner. For anyone seeking a factual account of the decision to use atomic weapons, read Downfall by Richard Frank.
Dower's writing - and credibility - improves noticeably when he confines himself to commenting strictly on events and conflicts within Japanese society, without dragging in American influences. His excellent chapter on war crime remorse and the lack thereof concentrates solely on the Japanese people and the various thought processes within the post-war society as they attempted to explain the events leading up to the disaster of war.
Dower's writing tactics seem geared more to appealing to his in-laws than in any objective assessment of the topic. The book reflects the current sentiment in Japan where no one accepts responsibility of the common person for the calamity of war and no one acknowledges the social problems that are just as severe today as they were 50 years ago. Self-criticism and introspection of Japanese society and its militaristic nature is desperately needed for both non-Japanese to understand the country and its people and especially for the Japanese themselves in order to change their society into one that can coexist with the world around them. Unfortunately accounts such as this continue the charade of Japanese people as innocent, powerless victims of overbearing forces, a view shared by most Japanese people and many so-called experts writing about Japan.
3 stars for subject matter. 1 star for slanted wtiting style.

"Embracing Defeat" is a masterpiece of scholarship; well researched and meticulous.

It is also, quite unfortunately, more about demonstrating how "enlightened and evolved" the author is (and by extension, our Politically Correct times), than it is about explaining anything about the past that would have been intelligible to a participant.

This critical flaw makes this book less than useful as a study in how the U. S. oversaw an effective Occupation that transformed a totalitarian enemy into an allied republic. Instead, we hear the agony that we are not utopian in every utterance of the author.

What a shame!

While this is a Pulitzer prize winning essay on the post WWII years in Japan, it is not intended for the lay reader or amateur history buff. I have an intense interest in history, especially the WWI era but I found it impossible to find a compelling narrative in this incredibly heavy tome. In fact, after reading the first 100 or so pages, I skipped through the rest of the book, reading a page here and a chapter there. Then I put the book in my recycle bin. An incredbily hard slog.

Dower inadvertantly wrote in support of invading Iraq, by writing this book with its title about how the Japanese "embraced defeat." Dower shows some of the complexity of the postwar in Japan, and the duplicity of MacArthur's staff and the State Department, but it is still way too rosy a little narrative about how the Japanese became "like us," almost (not quite white), as a result of their defeat. Dower has written articles subsequently regarding the fact that Iraq indeed is not Japan, but too late, damage already done.

This was the hardest book I have read in some time. I have a GED

Dower has a PHD and it shows. I could have gotten more from this book if I didn't have to stop and use the dictionary every half page. Maybe they will make a plain english edition some day.

I have read many great histories and technical works concerning WW2 but I spent more time in the dictionary than I did reading this book. The first, oh say, half of the book is at times fascinating but it quickly goes down hill (or vertically declines as the author would probably put it). The entirety of the text became extremely apologetic in my view. He seems to intimate that the blame for the Pacific War rested with the "White peril" and the blockades of the poor, pitiful, Nipponese. The fact is they chose of their own free will to attack Pearl Harbor and they deserved much more than they received. Sorry but in our current political climate I am tired of Americans apologizing to the rest of the world. If you are set for a hard read and are savvy enough not to be influenced by leftist leaning, marxist reading than this is the book for you. Make sure you have Mr Webster close though.

I should have known when I saw the Pulitzer Prize icon on the cover that this would be a Marxist, anti-American slanted book, since those are the kind of books that win prizes these days. The book is full of snide comments on the "imperialist," "zealous," "crusader" Americans, that often reveal a profound ignorance of history. For instance, the author remarks on how odd it was for the Americans to break from the precedents of "international law" (whatever that is), when in reality international law itself was an odd and recent break from precedent. The author is also too busy decrying "imperialist America" to realize that the occupation was probably the least imperialist to-date in the broad scope of history.

When not taking cheap shots on America, the author provides a great deal of anecdotes that paint a sensational picture of what was happening, while providing no clue as to why it was happening. For instance, he gives a lot of stories on the food shortages following the surrender, but no information on what caused them. (eg. How much infrastructure was damaged? What policies contributed to the disorder? Trade? etc?) He also spends a lot of time painting a picture of sinister "black market" activity, rather than accurately contrasting market prices with the juvenile govt price controls and policies. (This is his pervasive Marxist bias in play.)

The last paragraph of the epilogue is revealing: "And to a considerable degree the guided capitalism they promoted succeeded in realizing these objectives. Japan became wealthy. The standard of living rose impressively at every level of society. Income distribution was far more equitable than in the United States. Growth was achieved without inordinate dependence on a military-industrial complex or a thriving trade in armaments."

Equitable income distribution. Military-industrial complex. Nice. I'm sure his MIT colleague Chomsky loved that. If you like reading your history through Marxist-shaded glasses, this book is for you. If not, beware.