Winners in Peace: MacArthur, Yoshida, and Postwar Japan - Tapa dura

"[An] ambitious and comprehensive study."--Takeshi Igarashi, "Journal of American History

This book chronicles the American Occupation of Japan, an episode that profoundly shaped the postwar world. Richard B. Finn, who participated in the Occupation as a young naval officer and diplomat, tells the full story of the activities from 1945 to 1952. He focuses on the two main actors, General Douglas MacArthur and Japanese Prime Minister Shigery Yoshida and details the era's major events, programmes and personalities, both American and Japanese. The author draws on an impressive range of sources in describing the war crimes trials, constitutional reforms and American efforts to rebuild Japan. And he discusses the work of George Kennan in making political stability and economic recovery the top goals of the United States, a critical issue at the onset of the Cold War.