- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
The year was 1945. Hundreds of thousands of Allied troops poured into war-torn Japan and spread throughout the country. The effect of this influx on the local population did not lessen in the years following the war's end. In fact, the presence of foreign servicemen also heightened the visibility of certain others, particularly panpan—streetwalkers—who were objects of their desire.
Occupying Power shows how intimate histories and international relations are interconnected in ways scholars have only begun to explore. Sex workers who catered to servicemen were integral to the postwar economic recovery, yet they were nonetheless blamed for increases in venereal disease and charged with diluting the Japanese race by producing mixed-race offspring. In 1956, Japan passed its first national law against prostitution, which produced an unanticipated effect. By ending a centuries-old tradition of sex work regulation, it made sex workers less visible and more vulnerable. This probing history reveals an important but underexplored aspect of the Japanese occupation and its effect on gender and society. It shifts the terms of debate on a number of controversies, including Japan's history of forced sexual slavery, rape accusations against U.S. servicemen, opposition to U.S. overseas bases, and sexual trafficking.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Copyright
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Names and Nomenclature
- Introduction: A Special Business
- 1. “To Transship Them to Some Suitable Island”: Making Policy in the Midst of Chaos
- 2. Violence, Commerce, Marriage
- 3. When Flesh Glittered: Selling Sex in Sasebo and Tokyo
- 4. Legislating Women: The Push for a Prostitution Prevention Law
- 5. The High Politics of Base Pleasures: Regulating Morality for the Postwar Era
- 6. The Presence of the Past: Controversies over Sex Work Since 1956
- Conclusion: Beyond Victimhood
- Appendix
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index