YOSHIDA DOCTRINE & JAPAN
SHIGERU YOSHIDA became the Prime Minister of JAPAN in 1946 . He remained in power from 1946 to 1947 and then from 1948 to 1954 . He played a key role in guiding the post second world war JAPAN through his policies known as YOSHIDA DOCTRINE . Under this policy , JAPAN forged a tight relationship with the UNITED STATES . He emphasized on developing the economy of JAPAN dithering away from its past stand of proactive foreign policy as such . One of the longest serving Prime Minister of JAPAN , YOSHIDA’S Liberal Party merged with Liberal Democratic Party in 1955 which dominated the JAPANESE politics throughout the remaining SHOWA PERIOD OF JAPAN . During his period, for improving the condition of the post war tattered economy of JAPAN , with the help of an economist like JOSEPH DODGE , an austerity program was initiated in 1949 which helped it in driving out the country from inflation . KOREAN War, which was fought between the NORTH KOREA and the SOUTH KOREA between 1950 to 1953 , became virtually a boon for the development and growth of the business of JAPAN . The Ministery of International Trade and Industry (MITI) was first time created in 1949 with a mission to promote growth through close cooperation between the government and the JAPANESE business houses . It successfully promoted manufacturing and heavy industry to a large scale which boosted the exports of the country . The factors which led to the economic growth of JAPAN during YOSHIDA period were as follows : 1. TECHNOLOGY AND QUALITY CONTROL TECHNIQUES IMPORTED FROM THE WEST ; 2. CLOSE ECONOMIC AND DEFENCE COOPERATION WITH THE US ; 3. TARRIF BARRIERS TO IMPORT WAS ABOLISHED ; 4. LOBOR UNIONIZATION WAS COMPLETELY RESTRICTED ; 5. POLICY OF LONG WORKING HOURS WAS ADOPTED ; and , of course , 6. CONDUCIVE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT led to the economic prosperity of JAPAN .
With all this efforts of the Prime Minister SHIGERU YOSHIDA , the JAPANESE economy grew beyond the pre-war level in 1955 . And by 1968 it became the second largest capitalist economy of the world after the US . Its GNP started growing at an annual rate of about 10% . The life expectancy rose . As a result the JAPANESE population increased to 123 million by 1990 . And within no time JAPAN became world largest manufacturer of automobiles and and a leading producer of electronic goods as such . By 1987 the TOKYO Stock Exchange became world largest one . And the NIKKEI Stock market index became double ensuring economic bubble so far as the JAPANESE economy was concerned . The PLAZA accord was signed as a joint agreement at the PLAZA HOTEL in NEW YORK city on 22nd September 1985 between JAPAN , FRANCE , WEST GERMANY , THE UNITED KINGDOM and THE UNITED STATES to depreciate the US Dollar in relation to the JAPANESE Yen , the FRENCH Frank , the GERMAN Deutsche Mark and the BRITISH Pound Sterling by intervening in the currency market . As per some financial experts the PLAZA ACCORD contributed enormously to the JAPANESE asset price bubble of the late 1980s as such .
EMERGENCE OF NEW JAPAN
JAPAN became member of the newly constituted U.N.O in 1956 . JAPAN remained close ally of the US during the cold War period . Getting green signal from the US , JAPAN reorganized its army in 1954 under the name of JAPAN SELF-DEFENSE FORCES ( JSDF ) , of course , in violation of Article-9 of the JAPANESE Constitution but in view of the existing world scenario it was the need of the hour . However , in 1960 ANPO PROTESTS against the US-JAPAN SECURITY TREATY allowed the US to maintain military bases on the JAPANESE soil . Despite dispute over KURIL Island , JAPAN normalized its relation with the SOVIET UNION in 1956 . Similarly , despite the ongoing dispute over the ownership of LIANCOURT ROCK Island with SOUTH KOREA , JAPAN normalized its relation with the former. JAPAN as per the wishes of the US recognized the REPUBLIC OF CHINA on TAIWAN as the legitimate government of CHINA after the world War-ll . But JAPAN switched its recognition to the PEOPLE REPUBLIC OF CHINA in 1972 . With commissioning of the TOKAIDO SHINKANSEN HIGH-SPEED RAIL LINE in 1964 , running between TOKYO to OSAKA became the world’s oldest High Speed Railways project which boosted the JAPANESE economy further .
NOTE : THE SOURCES OF THE BLOG ARE TEXT BOOKS AND OTHER WRITTEN MATERIALS ON THE SUBJECT .
TO BE CONTINUED ………………
A PIECE OF SOCIAL HISTORY OF BIHAR ( INDIA ) IN THE FORM OF A NOVEL : ‘The Yogini : A Bride in need’ ……..By ARBIND KUMAR ……. GOOGLE LINK OF EBOOK IS ABOVE ………………