ABSTRACT
The most familiar observation about Japan is that it has become an economic giant, and achieved this status in a phenomenally short period of time. The political history of Japan is best approached from the perspective of a recurring theme involving a struggle between isolation from the outside world and acceptance of Western modernization. The identifying characteristic of the Tokugawa shogunate was a rigid social system. As the Meiji period evolved, the Japanese governing system took on more democratic characteristics. The surrender marked the end of the war as well as the end of Japanese militarism and the tacit support of the military by the imperial throne. In the early years of their control, the Liberal Democrats paid close attention to Japan's relationship with the United States. Early in the occupation, Japanese government officials were reluctant to endorse a new constitution or accede to American pressures for significant constitutional reform.
