Embracing Defeat

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1. JoeDaDudeAug 2023
   Embracing Defeat by John Dower. The history of Japan's defeat in World War II is well known, but less known is how Japan transformed from a quasi-theocratic military dictatorship to the liberal democracy it is today. This book looks at the events, both cultural and political, that were occurring during the American occupation and how the Japanese adjusted to their defeat and created a new vision of the Japanese nation.
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2. scott_sSep 2015
   "Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol", which I talked about in a thread recently: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10146846

   Before that, it was "Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II". I decided to read it because I saw a kinda not great movie about the period immediately after surrender, and I realized it was something I knew almost nothing about. It's good, but relatively academic; I cared about how the Japanese publishing industry and their literature changed over the time period, but not that much. It is worth it, though, as I knew very little about Japan in this period. Something that drives this home is that for Japan, "the war" for the Japanese people essentially lasted from 1931 (when Japan invaded Manchuria) to 1952 (when the US occupation of Japan ended) - I had never thought of it that way before.

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3. aomurphyNov 2014
   The book where I read most of this from is Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John Dower. It's a big book, and covers a lot about occupation, not just economics, but I found it engrossing and quite readable. It's a little out of date now, being 14 years old, but nothing really noticeable.
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4. avidiaxFeb 2025
   I read the "Embracing Defeat" by John Dower. It's about Japan instead, but what struck me is that the wealthy and powerful in general paid little price and perhaps even enriched themselves from the war.

   All the government warehouses that had various stocks of war material and food, clothing, rubber, etc. all mysteriously disappeared into private hands shortly after the fall.

   US bombing campaigns tended to target the working class. The wealthy usually had enclaves that had substantial separation between their houses so they didn't even lose their homes to the fires.

   And the US occupation had to prioritize stability immediately and to do that they wanted to maintain the power of the already powerful and maintain the institutions wherever possible.

   Even some scientists that conducted inhumane experiments were let off scot-free because we wanted their research.

   I suspect that it's always been this way. As a conqueror, you always want whatever you conquer to be economically productive as soon as possible. So you always want to have the existing managers now simply reporting to you.

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5. WalterBrightDec 2024
   Some reference material. I don't recommend reading any of them, they're very unpleasant reading. But it's important to document what happened.

   "After the Reich", NacDonogh

   "An Eye For An Eye", Sack

   "Crimes and Mercies", Bacque

   "Embracing Defeat", Dower

   "Gruesome Harvest", Keeling

   "Justice At Nuremburg", Conot

   "Other Losses", Bacque

   "The Nuremburg Trial", Tusa

   "The Long Road Home", Shephard

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6. cdavidAug 2024
   It is true both countries were already industrious, but it was far from a given they could go back to their former self. They were both utterly destroyed, and things could have gone really badly, especially in Japan.

   I can't find the reference right but I remember reading average adult calorie intake to drop to ~1200 kcals in 1947/1948 in "embracing defeat" by John Dower. That period has a huge influence on Japan to this day, including architecture of Tokyo through black market.

   Both Japan and Germany had strong military govt culture, and became reliably democratic at the end of the allies occupation.

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