TOPICS

Mr Steven J. Ericson from Dartmouth College was invited as a guest lecturer at the Advanced Seminar (Prof. FRENCH, Thomas William).

Professor Ericson’s lecture covered the economic impact of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), both in general, and also with specific reference to the focus of his current research: zaibatsu dissolution and business deconcentration during the U.S. The course of economic reform relating to business structures was explained and placed within the context of the broader history of the Occupation. Specific cases of Japanese agency and influence within the history of zaibatsu dissolution were highlighted as were specific case studies of dissolution including: Mitsubishi and the Japanese beer industry. The session looked at why certain sectors escaped reform and the legacies of the Occupation’s policies in contemporary Japan.