Discuss the reforms made by SCAP and their legac Essay

Discuss the reforms made by SCAP and their legac - Essay Example At the same time, the demilitarization issue became so controversial because; despite the fact that military empowerment was banned by Article 9 of the constitution, Japan continued to sustain a strong military budget (Buckley 4). The reforms not only demilitarized Japan but also aimed to enhance democracy and the rule of law in the country. They influenced Japan to shift away from the Meiji Constitution and the Prewar forces and policies. An important pillar of the reforms was the introduction of the initiative that sovereignty comes from the citizens because it eliminates the higher privilege of autocracy. At the same time, the reforms aimed to protect the rights of women. The latter gave the Japanese women the power to vote. The endorsement of clause 9 of the constitution by the reforms helped to prevent Japan from becoming a violent military power. However, the United States later pressurized Japan to rebuilt its military power for self-defense against other outside ideologies such as communism in other parts of the world, including Asia. This came soon after the Korean War and the Chinese Civil War. During the war in Korea, the US military forces withdrew from Japan. This left the country almost defenseless. A national police reserve was also created that was armed with massive weaponry equivalent to the army. The reforms also led to the formation of the Japan Self-defense Forces that acted as an extension of the police force. Another reform was liberalization. The priorities of the US towards Japan gradually shifted from the liberal policies to a change in the political stability as well as economic recovery. Democratization and demilitarization lost their momentum and seemed to stall. For example, economic decentralization was uncompleted as the country responded to new imperatives. The US also encouraged industrial policies and business activities that have now become sources of