Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II

Demilitarization refers to the reduction of both weapons and armed forces by a country. In the wake of the Second World War, both Germany and Japan were demilitarized by the Allied victors. They deemed demilitarization important so as to avoid another armed conflict in the future.

GHQ stands for the “general headquarters” of the American occupation of Japan (1945-1952) after the Second World War. GHQ ruled Japan and oversaw its transformation from an empire to democracy in the early postwar period. 

Katsutori culture is the response from various underground subcultures to the dismal postwar situation in Japan. This response included sexualization, escapism, and human resilience in the face of adversity. The term comes from a particular kind of drink that was the choice of avant-garde artists “who made the cult out of degeneracy and nihilism” (148).