Some will point to Japan’s history as evidence that Japan’s post-war cinema was too censored, Americanized, and propagandistic to provide any real insight into the impact of the atomic bombings on the attitude of Japanese society. Following Japan’s defeat in World War II, US General Douglas MacArthur was tasked with revising the country’s constitution and ending the Japanese Empire. To remove Japan’s perceived war-like tendencies, MacArthur launched an “enlightenment campaign,” in which American films were screened throughout Japan for the duration of the occupation. These films showcased the American way of life and seeked to introduce America as a social, political, and cultural model for Japan (Olson). Films like Steel Town (1952), Country Store (1950), and Border Without Bayonets (1950) all showed America as
…show more content…
While these Americans films were massively distributed throughout Japan, Japan’s own films were controlled and censored. The aim was to present the image of America’s “true democracy” while suppressing all other views. Until 1952, any Japanese film that managed to fit into the American-dominated cinema must have had no Anti-American statements, no race issues, no depiction of the occupation itself, no depictions of hibakusha, and no examinations of the bombings (Kitamura). Therefore, opponents reason that since no aspect of Japanese society was allowed to be shown, no insight into it could be provided through Japanese films. Japanese cinema became Americanized and showed the US version of Japan, not what was truly occurring in Japanese society itself after the atomic bombings. However proponents of this argument are ignoring the underground film movement during the occupation, started in part by acclaimed filmmaker Akira
While these Americans films were massively distributed throughout Japan, Japan’s own films were controlled and censored. The aim was to present the image of America’s “true democracy” while suppressing all other views. Until 1952, any Japanese film that managed to fit into the American-dominated cinema must have had no Anti-American statements, no race issues, no depiction of the occupation itself, no depictions of hibakusha, and no examinations of the bombings (Kitamura). Therefore, opponents reason that since no aspect of Japanese society was allowed to be shown, no insight into it could be provided through Japanese films. Japanese cinema became Americanized and showed the US version of Japan, not what was truly occurring in Japanese society itself after the atomic bombings. However proponents of this argument are ignoring the underground film movement during the occupation, started in part by acclaimed filmmaker Akira