☰ Contents · World history

Japan and the Asian Tigers

Lessons 23 · 1 lessons · Sh. Ergashev, B. Xodjayev, J. Abdullayev. World history (1918–1991), Grade 10, 1st edition. Turon-Iqbol Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
23

Japan and the newly industrialised countries of Asia, 1946–1991

Textbook: pp. 105–109
GoalExplain Japan’s post-war democratic reforms and “economic miracle” and the development of the newly industrialised countries of Asia.
New words
occupation · okkupatsiyaJapanese “economic miracle” · yapon «iqtisodiy mo‘jizasi»“Asian Tigers” · «Osiyo yo‘lbarslari»post-industrial economy · postindustrial iqtisodiyot
Explanation

After its defeat in the Second World War Japan was under Allied occupation led by the USA in 1945–1952 (General Douglas MacArthur). The new constitution that took effect on 3 May 1947 made the emperor a “symbol of the state”, set popular sovereignty and civil rights, and its Article 9 renounced war; land reform was carried out, the large concerns (zaibatsu) were reorganised and trade unions were legalised. The San Francisco treaty of September 1951 came into force in April 1952, ending the occupation; Japan signed a security treaty with the USA and was admitted to the UN in 1956. From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s annual growth averaged close to 10 per cent (the “economic miracle”) thanks to quality control, scientific and technical innovation, high savings and low military spending; in 1968 Japan became the world’s second-largest economy by gross national product. After the oil crisis of 1973 the economy moved towards energy-saving, knowledge-intensive branches (electronics, robotics). In the 1960s–1980s South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong (the “Asian Tigers”) grew fast through export-oriented industrialisation; later countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia followed them.

Worked examples
Article 9: Japan renounces war as a means of settling international disputes; “Self-Defence Forces” were set up for defence. The article later became a subject of domestic debate.
A note on the textbook: it says EXPO ’70 took place in Tokyo; in fact it was held in Osaka (1970), while the Summer Olympic Games were held in Tokyo in 1964.
Class activity

Growth chart: using approximate average growth figures supplied by the teacher, draw a bar chart for 1950–1990 and mark two turning points (the 1973 oil crisis and one other).

Practice
1
When did the occupation of Japan end?
2
What did Article 9 of the 1947 constitution declare?
3
Which four economies are called the “Asian Tigers”?
4
State three causes of Japan’s “economic miracle”.