After World War II, Japan became an occupation zone for the United States.
In the early days of the occupation, Japan's social order fell into chaos, and many women lost their livelihood security due to war and social unrest, and became very vulnerable. Some soldiers of the US military took advantage of the weak position of these Japanese women to carry out various sexual assaults and psychological abuses. These soldiers often saw Japanese women as trophies rather than equals.
In order to prevent more Japanese women from being violated by the US military, the Japanese government has even set up "comfort centers" in the hope of centralizing the sexual assault of Japanese women by the US military. This is undoubtedly another insult and tarnish to the dignity of Japanese women.
In order to please MacArthur, the supreme commander of the US occupation forces at the time, Japan sacrificed Setsuko Hara.
Setsuko Hara was the most famous actress and singer in Japan at that time, with her elegant temperament, beautiful voice and superb performance skills, she won widespread praise and recognition in the Showa era, and was recognized as the first goddess of the Showa era and one of the representative figures of Japanese movies.
At the banquet that hosted MacArthur, the Japanese government arranged for Setsuko Hara to approach MacArthur, and no matter what Setsuko Hara thought, she could only accept this established fact.
In the sight of the American general, the goddess of Showa turned into a colorful "gift".
In Setsuko Hara's memory, their first meeting almost made her unforgettable.
On that day, MacArthur was dressed in a gorgeous military uniform, his figure was tall and powerful. His eyes are full of authority and determination, making it impossible to look directly. He tasted the fruits of victory with his eyes as a victor.
At that moment, MacArthur saw a Japanese goddess, beautiful, elegant, and with an irresistible charm.
He quickly understood the Japanese government's intentions and was very satisfied with them.
Setsuko Hara saw MacArthur's eyes full of desire, and a smile was drawn at the corner of his mouth, like a hunter seeing satisfied prey.
In the days that followed, MacArthur began to gradually possess Hara Setsuko and appeared more and more frequently in her life, he took her to various events, showed her his power and influence, and used his authority to provide Hara Setsuko with a more luxurious life, sending her precious gifts in the hope of completely conquering Hara Setsuko from body to spirit.
After accepting this "gift", MacArthur did show some tolerance for Japan in certain policies.
Specifically, MacArthur gave great support to Japan's economic policy in the process of Japan's postwar reconstruction, and during the Korean War, he strongly advocated the construction of Japan as a logistics supply base, giving Japan a large number of military orders.
More importantly, MacArthur changed his mind, allowing Japan to retain the emperor as a national symbol, and retaining a large number of remnants of militarism, and some war criminals escaped justice.
Of course, for Japan, this exchange was simply profitable, basically achieving their political goals and creating favorable conditions for the subsequent re-emergence of Japanese right-wing forces.
War not only destroys material things, but also destroys human nature, leaving not only physical scars, but also mental wounds. In the matter of sacrificing Setsuko Hara to MacArthur, it is difficult to say whether Japan succeeded or failed in the long run. Japan paid a heavy price, sacrificing the dignity of a woman and gaining only temporary and partial benefits, which had a profound impact on Japanese society and morality, and increased servility to the Japanese national character.
Sad and lamentable!