Freedom of Speech and Censorship Policies During the American Occupation of Japan: A Comparison With the American Occupation Zone of Germany After World War II

Abstract

After World War II drew to an end, the United States Armed Forces launched a military occupation of Japan that lasted until 1952. During these seven years of foreign administration, the occupying power carried out an intense program of demilitarisation and democratisation, which aimed at transforming Japan into a peaceful and democratic nation, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Potsdam Declaration, among which were freedom of speech and the press. And yet, censorship policies that were initially planned as provisional measures born of military necessity, went beyond their original purpose and persisted during the occupation period. What were these policies and what was the process that led from their formulation to their enforcement? Which were the main bodies involved in this operation and what was the role of the Japanese government? And ultimately, do some of the issues in present-day Japan concerning the press freedom environment, such as government interference and limited media independence, have roots in the occupation period? To answer these questions, a confrontation with the equivalent policies implemented in the American Zone of the Allied-occupied Germany in the same period is needed in order to better assess the extent to which the foreign presence contributed to influencing the current free speech environment in the two countries, which — as demonstrated by the 2022 World Press Freedom Index — present significant differences.