The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

by John Toland

At home, production levels were still maintained, but at the expense of extraordinary sacrifices by the people. Not only had many civilian enterprises been converted to war production and more women brought into industry, but teen-agers had been added to the labor force. Classroom time was reduced to a minimum and school buildings transformed into military supply depots. A seven-day workweek was established, with the Sundays so cherished by Japanese “abolished.” Trains had become crowded to such an extent that a number of infants were suffocated; trips of more than 100 kilometers required a police permit; diners and sleepers were discontinued. The people’s aggression turned on the trains when they were late, now a common occurrence; they stole seat covers and broke windows to get in and out. Consumer goods of every description were drastically curtailed. Food was rationed, clothing was at a premium, coffins had to be used over and over, and there was little gas or charcoal for heating homes. Newspapers were reduced in size, and publication of afternoon editions was suspended; about ten thousand amusement places—including geisha houses—were shut down. Life in Japan, in short, had become drab and onerous. “What kind of a Tokyo has this turned out to be!” lamented comedian Roppa Furukawa in his diary. “Ah, it’s no fun being alive any more!”