What affect did WWII have on Japanese culture?

by alexchumbley
churakaagii

Hi there!

A great resource on Japan in the post-war American Occupation is the book, "Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II." It is considered the definitive English language text on that period, and touches on cultural issues.

Beyond that, it's been 70 years since WW2, and "culture" has many facets, so it's hard to answer the question as posed in a satisfactory way. In the 70s, there was a lot of anti-war art and pop culture. Okinawa in particular has been anti-war throughout the years, and art and pop culture has reflected that. Anti-nuclear sentiments have waxed and waned, but been consistently high. Once the Bubble broke in the 90s, reframing the popular perspective on WW2 became a more prominent activity amongst the right-wing elements of Japan. Those are just essentially random details off the top of my head, and are far from a complete picture.

If you have more specific questions, I'd be happy to take a shot at them!