Sleeping with the enemy: Japanese war brides and the American occupation of Japan

One of the last new colonial projects in the twentieth century began on September 2, 1945. The American forces arrived in Japan ready to subdue a conquered nation, full of putatively deceitful Asian barbarians. In 1952, the Americans left Japan, their new ally in the region and bulwark against the spread of communism. During the American Occupation of\ud Japan, the military authorities rehabilitated the defeated enemy. A key element of this\ud reconstruction was the depiction of Japan as a feminine, junior ally to the masculine United\ud States. Central to this reimaging of Japan’s relationship with the United States was the\ud construction of a narrative around war brides, Japanese women who married American\ud servicemen. Although the American authorities had initially attempted to ban all forms of\ud fraternization between Americans and Japanese, this policy proved ineffective. In response, the United States military decided to allow American journalists to portray fraternization in a positive light as part of its broader campaign to rehabilitate Japan. This process continued\ud haphazardly, even after the official occupation ended, and contributed significantly to the\ud triumphal history the Americans wrote about their involvement in Japan after the Second World War