an was signed at San Francisco in September 1951 by Japan, the United States, and forty-seven other nations. The Soviet Union refused to sign it. The treaty went into effect in April 1952, officially terminating the United States occupation and restoring full independence, plus government and economic stability, to Japan.What is extraordinary in the occupation and its aftermath was the insignificance of the unpleasant compared to the huge social, economic, and political gains for Japan. The nobility of the American ideals and their non-violent presence assuaged much of the bitterness of the Japanese defeat, which gave the Americans room to promote peace and democracy. Consequently, the occupation served to firmly plant a substantial capital of good will, on which both America and Japan would both draw in years to come....
