In the years before 1941, japan built a great war machine and prepared for a mad gamble with the rest of the world. Finally, a played its hand. It played its hand. And lost. This was hiroshima immediately after the atomic tom. A lifeless, hopeless city. Passes. E and in the desolation of defeat, people stir and strive for the normal living they once viewed. Hiroshima is a symbol of a new beginning of a defeated country. Slowly, very slowly, something is coming out of the wreckage. Buildings, but in the minds of defeated people are growing new ideas. The idea of democracy. There is hope in the air. Perhaps the past from defeat will lead to a better way of living than they have ever known before. In the old days, the victor took ked the conquered country, carried off the jewels and took the women. Hands is the power to mold the future and the possibility of peace. Between the supreme allied commander and the japanese people, between conqueror and conquered, there is an understanding unmatched in all history. Planning the work of the Occupation Forces began in 1945 out of the meeting of the allied powers. Later, from our own post came tor policy, general objectives for the occupation of japan. The first objective was the smashing of the jap war machine. The men behind the japanese war machine have been brought to trial for crimes of violence, cruelty and murder. Trials have been carried out thoroughly and methodically. Not in the spirit of punishment, the with the hope that a world court will deal with future International Criminals the same way National Courts deal with local criminals. The minds that put an operation of japanese war machinery were being reckoned with. The machines themselves had to be destroyed. To the scrap heap went the guns, the ships, the submarines planes, and the other military equipment. Blazed,hs jap furnaces melting down instruments aboard. Beating its swords into the necessities of life. The years ofduring war appeared suddenly during startling splendor. Here and there a toy signal better days to come. Objective isneral the establishment of a peaceful, responsible government. Because of its willingness to take the idea of democracy, japan already has a working constitution. By the constitution the emperor is no longer absolute and divine, but as a constitutional monarch, similar to englands king. He is now a figurehead. I his own declaration he is no longer a god, but many still believe he is divine vine and the japanese are the only race on the world directly descendent from the gods. For the first time, the people are exercising their constitutional right to election electionares. Electioneering is becoming as lively with Political Parties in the states. They are usually friends or relatives of the candidates for office. Constitution, women are voting for the first time. Formally the country was ruled from the top. A few people made the decisions. Now everybody is in on the action. The election returns are followed with interest. Some of these people have never heard the word democracy. Yet gradually they are learning the democratic way of life. As a result of its first free election, japan chose a moderate course for its future. These are new members of the national assembly, the highest governing body of the land. Previously the Japanese Congress was nothing more than a rubberstamp of the rulers of the empire. These men faced two major jobs. Overcoming the economic crisis and making preparations for concluding the peace treaty. American advice is given when needed. Members of the house of representatives where a button in their lapels wear a button in their lapels. Thismatic the mom. Lower in the old days it was an organization without much power. Acting on the advice of his ministers. The building that once housed the old another Meeting Place of the elected assembly is a new a man of freedom in japan with dangerous thoughts could be thrown into jail by the secret police. A citizen today no longer lives under this. He has the same freedom of speech that exists in the united states. In the shadow of the imperial palace, people take pride in celebrations of new civil rights. Today the japanese have the right to join unions and bargain collectives. At the end of the war there was no general labor unions in japan. Free war labor unions were in prison or silenced by the military. Beenight to organize had denied. Now there are 20,000 unions and 5 Million Union members in japan. Although the new constitution provides for trial by jury, the system is not just practice and the courts are still conducted in the traditions of the past. Three judges stepped in this district court, two must concur in the decisions. In addition to a jury trial, japanese citizens now guarantee the right to be defended by counsel. The religion sponsored by the government, and that preaching superior has been disassembled as a state religion. Under the constitution, a religious organization may not receive any privileges from this , nor exercise any political authority. Today each japanese is guaranteed to freedom to worship in any way he pleases. Reforming the japanese educational system as been one of the toughest jobs of the occupation. Deeply rooted in japanese teaching was the idea of blind obedience. We have insisted on one change, that the Teaching Program be free of militarism. The japanese reorganize their School System on democratic lines. New teachers are being taught and old p all teachers are being retrained. Textbooks are being rewritten. Patience is needed. We are trying to do and a few here is what has taken other democracies many years to achieve. Japanese newspapers are back in. Back in full stride. Ill freedom of the press is many centuries old in other countries, the idea only began to be practiced here in 1945. Newspaper so quickly in a country where daily reforms and changes of vitally affect the lives of the people. The new japan has many problems. We are anxious to assist in wherever we can. Expert knowledge on such a subject of Public Health is a vital on putting japan on its own fee. Under american supervision, a typical case of typhoid fever is cared for. The home is disinfected with ddt. The patient is removed to a City Hospital for contagious diseases. Large numbers of people are being introduced to methods of preventing disease. In the past, the government of japan had neglected most standard inoculations. There is great faith in ddt. Many japanese call it a skin tonic. These thorough methods of control setting up patterns for the future of health and welfare of japans average citizen. Noticeable is the simple necessities of life shortages. Must wait. Fe food is scares a basic ration is rarely enough to provide the working members of the family with enough food to keep going. A considerable supply of food has come from america. Findovernment is trying to methods of distribution to prevent food from being hoarded, and to prevent flow into the black markets. Since the rationing system was put in operation there has been an improvement. But high prices still prevail. There is an even greater shortage of clothing and food. Prices for what is available are sky high. The cost of living for a family of five is 20 times above prewar level. Childrensts and apparel are plentiful, adults where and particularly Mens Clothing is scarce. Almost where everyone goes in japan there are signs of destruction. Rebuilding is going on, it will take many years before japans battered factories will turn out enough products for normal meets. Wall whiles on walls and roofs are made solid. Repairs to homes are considered secondary. And as a result, Housing Conditions are often inadequate and makeshift. In the rebuilding, a church is not forgotten. A major change has taken place in the status of the japanese farmer. Of december 19ct 46, farmers are able to purchase the land they were. Large farms have been divided and the great landlords no longer dominate the many farmers who used to work there last. While the landlord control farming and imperial japan, the control of industry and government was in the hands of a group of families. In the oil and other large industries, all stock owned by them is being sold in small shares. And the average worker is being given a chance to participate in the industry in which hes employed. An needs drama serials needs Raw Materials to rebuild. And using the most primitive machinery to increase production. It shows the effects of war. Now. Y thin trees japans military machine to the best lumber and the heaviest trees. The clause logs a relatively thick. Thick logs are relatively scarce. To assist in its reconstruction, depend much trade with the rest of the world. It would need ships. In the shipyards, formally controlled by the group, shipbuilding goes on slowly. Lumber. Scarcer than would ships continued to be vital to japans economic progress. Many of the wooden ships are used for fishing, which is one of japans major industries. , although not one of japans major industries, has been an Emergency Industry during the postwar period of extreme shortage. Japan was given permission to send two fleets of 21 ships into the antarctica. Expedition brought back almost 1000 whales, providing japan with protein foods, fats and oils. Certain industries in which japan excels are slowly returning to normal. From the large oyster beds on the firemen, divers obtain a product very much desired by the rest of the world. The pearls and hes or stirs art carefully in these oysters the pearls in these oysters are carefully cultivated. It has taken many years to develop techniques of sorting, grading and polishing. Apan needs raw material she hopes to get them from other countries by exporting such products as pearls and silk. Silk was japans great export. Supplying the leaves on which silk worms feed have been conferred it during the war converted into rice paddies. During theverted increase in demand of silk. There is a shortage of good cocoons. And the quality of the cocoon is not up to prewar standards. Silk warms our bread to pedigree. During the war, silk warms group or an quality because of inbreeding. Today, the average warm produces about 650 yards of usable silk thread against the 1000 yards his ancestors produced in 1940. Japan is trying very hard to attract attention to the manufacturing for exports. Trade is improving. For in businessman have been allowed to come to japan for direct trade negotiation. Foreign businessmen have been allowed to come to japan for direct trade negotiation. This american businessman signed the first contract. A 62,000 purchase of china where. The occupation is continuing in a friendly atmosphere. The japanese are becoming less strange to us and we are being better understood by then. Americans are taking an interest in japanese life. The customs of this country seem very different from our own and worth investigating. Time, gis areree visiting centuryold religious shrines, and finding out about the religions of the east. In spite of many differences, we have much in common. American entertainment, for example, is very much favored in japan. The average japanese shares this interest with us enthusiastically. He wants to get away from it all just as much as the average american. In previous years he was allowed to purchase seats only in certain sections of the theater. Now, no seats are reserved. The japanese have been interested in baseball. This is not bigleague stuff yet, but someday it may be. For many years the american pastime has been the japanese pastime. Based ballparks are jammed and the fans root for their favorites with plenty of spirit. But this american influence may be one of the most remarkable in the history books of tomorrow. Japans first steps on the road to democracy. A short time ago japan was declaring a war on democracy of the world. Today, the japanese people are sincerely anxious to learn the idea they fought against. They look forward to the day when they will become a peaceful member of the united nations