The Police In Occupation Japan: Control, Corruption And Resistance To Reform (routledge Studies In The Modern History Of Asia)

The police force in Japan has been admired by Western commentators, who trace its origin to the American Occupation of Japan (1945-52) Police in Occupation Japan challenges the assumptions that underlie these accounts, focusing on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese police during the Occupation. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Christopher Aldous explores the extent to which America failed in its goal of ''democratizing'' the Japanese police force, arguing that deeply-rooted tradition, the pivotal importance of the black market, and America's decision to opt for an indirect Occupation led to resistance to reform. His study concludes with a consideration of the postwar legacy of the Occupation's police reform, and explores a number of recent controversies. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of figures and tables......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Conventions......Page 12 List of abbreviations......Page 13 Introduction......Page 16 Studies of the police in Japan and elsewhere......Page 18 The Japanese police and the American Occupation......Page 19 The Occupation structure......Page 21 Police and society......Page 27 Methodology and sources......Page 30 Foundations......Page 34 A national police organization......Page 37 Wide-ranging police powers......Page 39 The police ethos......Page 43 Police methods......Page 46 Thought control......Page 48 Wartime and the neighbourhood associations......Page 51 The Kenpei......Page 55 The Consequences of defeat......Page 58 United States policies......Page 59 The health of the police institution......Page 65 Economic conditions......Page 79 Guardians of the people......Page 82 Economic regulation......Page 84 The treatment of detainees......Page 97 Neighbourhood surveillance......Page 100 Strikes and demonstrations......Page 103 Serving the old guard......Page 109 The disappearance of surplus military supplies......Page 110 The oyabun-kobun system......Page 121 'Voluntary' contributions......Page 134 The tale of Suzuki Eiji......Page 142 Allies of military government......Page 146 The structure of military government......Page 147 The process of military government......Page 151 Mutual dependence......Page 155 A weakness for entertainment......Page 159 'Immediate and final decentralization'......Page 163 Preliminaries......Page 164 The PSD/Yoshida government plan......Page 168 A clash of principles......Page 177 Advising the Katayama government......Page 182 Reconciliation......Page 190 Towards recentralization......Page 195 Organization and facilities......Page 196 Shouldering the financial burden......Page 203 Vulnerability to lawless elements......Page 213 Trusting in the national rural police......Page 218 Conclusion......Page 223 A two-faced Occupation......Page 224 A durable social system......Page 227 Resisting reform......Page 229 Epilogue......Page 232 The implications of recentralization......Page 233 Resurgent police powers......Page 238 Police practices......Page 242 The police ethos......Page 245 Notes......Page 249 Bibliography......Page 301 Index......Page 317 Many Western commentators have expressed their admiration for the Japanese police system, tracing its origins to the American Occupation of Japan (1945-52). This study challenges the assumptions that underlie these accounts, focusing on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese police during the Occupation. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Christopher Aldous explores the extent to which America failed in it's goal of 'democratizing' the Japanese police force, arguing that deeply-rooted tradition, the pivotal importance of the black market, and the US's decision to opt for an indirect Occupation produced resistance to reform. His study concludes with a consideration of the postwar legacy of the Occupation's police reform, and touches on a number of recent controversies, most notably the case of Aum Shinrikyo. This study focuses on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese police during the American Occupation of Japan (1945-52). Drawing on primary sources Aldous explores the Occupation's programme of 'democratization' and its legacy Any assessment of the health of a country's political system, its democratic impulses or authoritarian tendencies. Christopher Aldous. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [286]-301) And Index.