Who are the Japanese War Brides?
After World War II, approximately 10,200 marriages between Japanese women and American soldiers stationed in Japan were registered through the American consulate in Japan. Even if small fraction of American soldiers were involved in these mixed-race marriages, it was still a hot issue in the United States. At a time when non-white Americans were still faced heavy discrimination and Japanese-American citizens were still suffering from the effects of internment camps, the Japanese war bride was featured in popular media, as well as the subject of many sociological studies. Most Americans expected these marriages to fail due to the stark cultural differences between Japanese women and American men. The army tried …show more content…
A critic from the New York Times commended King Vidor--the director of Japanese War Bride--for his ability to show the confusion and conflict that families and neighbors often had when encountering these women. The movie is rather melodramatic in its tone, but it accurately displays some of the troubles that actual Japanese war brides had in their marriages. Naoko Shibusawa argued that this film, as well as two other films released during the 1950s--Sayonara and Teahouse of the August Moon--helped to create a national discourse about the need for racial tolerance. This movie was released around the world, with the American and international posters prominently featuring Shirley Yamaguchi’s name in bold letters. For international audiences, a summary card was sent, explaining the controversy of Japanese war brides. In every rendition of the poster, the image of Tae is featured prominently over her male co-star. During this period, “Cold War policy makers [stressed] that the United States present[ed] itself in terms of ...racial equality and fairness.” Because of this, Hollywood adapted this ideology in the 1950s and 1960s, which can be seen in the poster for Japanese War
After World War II, approximately 10,200 marriages between Japanese women and American soldiers stationed in Japan were registered through the American consulate in Japan. Even if small fraction of American soldiers were involved in these mixed-race marriages, it was still a hot issue in the United States. At a time when non-white Americans were still faced heavy discrimination and Japanese-American citizens were still suffering from the effects of internment camps, the Japanese war bride was featured in popular media, as well as the subject of many sociological studies. Most Americans expected these marriages to fail due to the stark cultural differences between Japanese women and American men. The army tried …show more content…
A critic from the New York Times commended King Vidor--the director of Japanese War Bride--for his ability to show the confusion and conflict that families and neighbors often had when encountering these women. The movie is rather melodramatic in its tone, but it accurately displays some of the troubles that actual Japanese war brides had in their marriages. Naoko Shibusawa argued that this film, as well as two other films released during the 1950s--Sayonara and Teahouse of the August Moon--helped to create a national discourse about the need for racial tolerance. This movie was released around the world, with the American and international posters prominently featuring Shirley Yamaguchi’s name in bold letters. For international audiences, a summary card was sent, explaining the controversy of Japanese war brides. In every rendition of the poster, the image of Tae is featured prominently over her male co-star. During this period, “Cold War policy makers [stressed] that the United States present[ed] itself in terms of ...racial equality and fairness.” Because of this, Hollywood adapted this ideology in the 1950s and 1960s, which can be seen in the poster for Japanese War