nment critics were imprisoned. Purges of militaristic, high ranking officials occurred, as was the ban on restriction of assembly and speech. Yet, while political change happened with lightning like swiftness, social change was much slower.Upon arriving to the mainland of Japan, many of the American occupation were stunned at the utter devastation that the Japanese had endured. It was a testament to both the bravery and spirit of their armies, as well as the foolishness of their leaders, that they were able to endure the war as long as they had. Having put most of their economic resources to the war movement, much of the civilian population was left in near famine. With the armies throughout the Pacific being repatriated on a daily basis (although many wouldn’t return for year) the conditions became even worse. Despair and hunger set into the populace that was described as the “kyodatsu condition.” With their colonies in Asia no longer in direct control, much of their food supply imports were cut off. Japan had relied heavily upon the importation of rice, sugar, and salt, but access was now severely restricted. To make matters worse, the United States decided to take a hands-off approach to rebuild the economy, a natural decision to punish a nation that caused so much devastation to others. Malnutrition was a leading cause of preventable death in many major cities, and the rapid rise of inflation throughout Japan left the yen almost worthless. While black markets flourished, many civilians who depended upon them arrested for buying from them. The following four years after Japan’s surrender each saw an excess of over 1 million people imprisoned for black market transactions. Crime ran rampant, and many of these conditions wouldn’t return to pre-war levels until 1949.Maybe the most controversial topic regarding punishment to those responsible for the Pacific War was the decision to maintain t...
