Reviving Postwar Japanese Trade—American Strategies during the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations

Not long after the occupation of Japan began, the U.S. began to consider the necessity of reviving Japan’s economy in order to reduce the high costs of the occupation, and to strengthen Japan as an important ally in the struggle against Communism in Asia. The revival of Japan’s economy depended on the revival of its international trade. This chapter examines the American attempts to pursue both a multilateral and a regional strategy to revive Japanese international trade, and the eventual American reliance on a bilateral strategy.