OCCUPATION OF JAPAN
After four years of fighting in Europe and the Pacific, the dropping
of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war on August
15, 1945. Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945 aboard
the USS Missouri. Although World War II ended, the work of the
MIS was far
from over. More than 5,000 MIS linguists
participated in the occupation of Japan, which lasted until 1952.
In preparation for the occupation, the Military
Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) located at Fort
Snelling, Minnesota, shifted its focus from military to civilian
Japanese language along with government terminology and policies.
The need to learn military tactics was no longer significant,
and students were taught general knowledge of Japanese language
and culture. New replacements graduating from MISLS were immediately
shipped to Japan for assignment. Additional MIS and Women's Army
Corps (WAC) linguists also served at the Pentagon providing additional
assistance to the occupation effort.
The MIS linguists immersed themselves in every aspect of the
occupation from major assignments in military government, disarmament,
intelligence, civil affairs, land reform, education, and finance.
Finding themselves faced with the immense task of providing for
the needs of a post-war population crippled by food shortages
and the destruction of transportation networks, MIS linguists
proved essential in working with local authorities in the implementation
of Occupation Force directives. Military government offices were
established throughout all of Japan's prefectures and these bilingual
MIS personnel helped oversee their implementation.
In addition, many MIS linguists were also translators and interrogators
for the trials of Japanese war criminals. Of the 70 linguists
assigned by the United States Army to work as defense attorneys
and monitors, many came from the MIS. Those MIS personnel assigned
to this duty provided processing and translation services for
the war crimes tribunals that took place in the Philippines, China,
French Indochina, East Indies and Japan.
Intelligence was an important aspect of the Occupation that
MIS members also provided. Nisei solders were involved in intelligence
organizations such as the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) and
the Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD). These organizations played
key roles in the gathering of information for General Headquarters
(GHQ). The CIC’s mission was to detect and prevent subversive
activities directed against the Occupation Forces in Japan, and
operated throughout Japan. The CCD’s mission was to extract
civil intelligence from a variety of mass communication media
in Japan. The purpose was to keep a pulse on the nation so Occupation
policies could be implemented in an orderly manner. Over a third
of the United States personnel in the CCD were MIS graduates.
Some Nisei females also served in the CCD.
The Nisei linguists also helped create new laws and even aided
in the development of the Japanese constitution. Additionally,
the setting up of the Japanese Self Defense Forces came about
in no small part because of the aid provided by the MIS linguists
and aides that helped in the operation.
Because of the Nisei’s
language abilities and familiar faces, the MIS truly became the
bridge of understanding and friendship between Army headquarters
and the Japanese civilians. MIS linguists were commended as they
served honorably in every assignment. Both Americans and Japanese
civilians believed that “the occupation of Japan could not
have succeeded so smoothly without the language expertise and
presence of the Nisei.”
