Japanese Workers and the Struggle for Power, 1945-1947

by Joe Moore

Traditional Western accounts of postwar Japan's democratization have stressed the apparent ease and inevitability of that process. The resulting historical perspective, Joe Moore contends, seriously distorts reality. Drawing on essential and unmined data, including national archive records of the early Occupation, Moore unmasks an agitated, divided, and potentially explosive Japan in the years immediately following World War II.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia

305 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Kyogo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In post World War 2 Japan, the GHQ took over Japan and started to reorganize the country. In its process of democratization, the story that is presented in history textbooks presents an opposite message from reality. Joe Moore, in his book "Japanese Workers and the Struggle for Power" writes about met by the working class Japanese citizens that lived through the sufferings from the hardest times in Japanese modern history.

In order to fully understand the book, you need to consider and slowly digest the information as the data presenting is complex and his explanations may be counterintuitive even though it's logical. A good read on the core parts of Japanese history that is often ignored.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and eye opening account of Japan’s democratization after WWII. Joe Moore challenges the oversimplified narrative with fresh archival evidence, revealing the tension and uncertainty of the era. Engaging, well researched, and essential for anyone interested in postwar history.