The results of decades of militaristic and ultra-nationalistic propaganda will not be easily wiped away. The army and navy have been abolished, war criminals have been tried, and reforms designed to eliminate the political pitfalls of the old order are being made, but changing the mentality of a people is a slower and more difficult task.
The natural resentment of people who have suffered defeat and whose land has been occupied by foreign invaders is not to be overlooked. The tremendous destruction of the physical assets of Japan and the disruption of her economy have resulted in a serious lowering of the standard of living, and this in turn will cause deep-seated unrest. There is much spiritual confusion among the Japanese, for after long being accustomed to close supervision and rigid patterns of thought, they are now witnessing the collapse of their old world and the repudiation of many of its most cherished values. This spiritual confusion may well result in considerable social and political instability.
Despite these problems, however, remarkable progress has been made since the surrender toward the creation of a peaceful and democratic Japan, which is the primary objective of the Allied Powers. The vanquished have joined the victors in this task with amazing good will and trust. The wisdom and justice shown by General MacArthur and his forces, matched by the industry and cooperation of the Japanese, appear to be accomplishing the seemingly impossible—a military occupation satisfactory to the victors and popular with the vanquished.
