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Historical Period
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Occupation, the pacifist constitution, the economic miracle and modern Japan's stagnation and renewal.

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Postwar & Contemporary Japan · 1945–present
戦後 · Rebirth

Postwar & Contemporary Japan

From the American occupation and a pacifist constitution, through the astonishing "economic miracle" that made a ruined country the world's second-largest economy, to the bursting of the bubble, the long stagnation, and the disasters and renewal of a mature democracy. Slide across the decades in which Japan rose from the ashes of 1945 to reinvent itself as a peaceful, prosperous and creative power.

1947 AD
The Occupation
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1947 AD

The Occupation
  • Political

    The pacifist constitution

    Occupied Japan under Allied administration
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    Under American occupation, Japan adopts a new constitution renouncing war and vesting sovereignty in the people.

8 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1947 AD

Full Chronicle

Postwar & Contemporary Japan

From the American occupation and a pacifist constitution, through the astonishing "economic miracle" that made a ruined country the world's second-largest economy, to the bursting of the bubble, the long stagnation, and the disasters and renewal of a mature democracy. Slide across the decades in which Japan rose from the ashes of 1945 to reinvent itself as a peaceful, prosperous and creative power.

  1. The Occupation

    • The pacifist constitution

      Under American occupation, Japan adopts a new constitution renouncing war and vesting sovereignty in the people.

  2. Return to the World

    • The San Francisco Peace Treaty

      Japan signs the peace treaty ending the occupation and, allied to the United States, regains its independence.

  3. The Economic Miracle

    • The Tokyo Olympics

      The Tokyo Olympics and the first bullet train announce Japan's return as a modern, prosperous nation.

  4. An Economic Superpower

    • The world's second economy

      Japan becomes the second-largest economy on earth, a byword for industrial quality and technology.

  5. The End of Shōwa

    • The Heisei era begins

      The death of Emperor Hirohito ends the long Shōwa era as the postwar economic bubble reaches its dizzy peak.

  6. The Lost Decades

    • The bubble bursts

      The asset bubble collapses, opening a long era of stagnation, deflation and cautious reform.

  7. Disaster and Resilience

    • The Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima

      A massive earthquake and tsunami devastate the northeast and trigger the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

  8. The Reiwa Era

    • The dawn of Reiwa

      Emperor Akihito abdicates and his son Naruhito ascends, opening the Reiwa era in a mature, peaceful Japan.