How the US and Japan Went From Enemies to Allies After WWII

During World War II, the United States and Japan fought as bitter enemies. Yet during the Cold War and beyond, Japan became arguably America’s closest and most trusted ally in the Asia-Pacific region. How did they make such a successful transition from enemies to allies?

It’s hard to imagine such a profound turnaround. In December 1941, Japan’s surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor shocked America, drawing it formally into the conflict. Almost four years later, the United States dropped two devastating atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war. Subsequently, he subjected Japan to a seven-year post-war occupation that disbanded the defeated nation’s military and drastically changed its political structure.

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