Considering the intense racial animosity that Dower outlines in his introduction to War Without Mercy, why do you think the Japanese and US governments were so quick to see each other as allies? Do you believe that the transition was as quick for ordinary people? Think about how this question (including a version of this question that is put forth in Kurosawa’s No Regrets for Our Youth) risks effacing the scrutiny of Japanese colonial rule and imperialist aggression in Asia.
I think the change that Japanese and US governments were so quick to see each other as allies is rational. Henry John Temple Palmerston said that: We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow. Therefore, I believe it is rational since both the Japanese government and US government agreed to form this allyship for their own interests. After Attack on Pearl Harbor, both of Japan and United States considered each other as enemy, and their goal was to win the war. After WWII, their goal of winning the war was the past, they had to change their goal to fit their current situation and need. They believed it was better if they can ally. Japan needed help to recover from the great loss. It had no alternative but accept this ally. United States did not want Japan to become a communist country. It also needed a base in East Asia. Allying with Japan could help United States to maintain its position as a superpower. Therefore, I believe quickly forming this ally was a result that is needed for both countries.
However, I think it is hard for ordinary people to have this transition. The conflicts and intense animosity between American and Japanese could not be easily erased. However, the great loss of Japan, the predicament they were experiencing, and the fear of the power of the United States gave them no choice but accept this ally.
