ABSTRACT
One of the most remarkable features of the post-1945 strategic landscape in East Asia was the speed with which Japan was transformed from an adversary characterised in wartime propaganda as the epitome of Oriental evil into that of a key ally, a bulwark against the spread of a new evil.1 The context within which this evolution occurred was, of course, the rapid spread of Cold War hostilities from Europe into the Asia-Pacific, and the shared interest of both Tokyo and Washington in containing the spread of Soviet and Chinese influence throughout the region. Looked at through a wider historical lens, this speedy rapprochement is a useful reminder of how shifting international political forces can generate new national interest calculations that overwhelm quickly old antipathies and hostilities.
