Hostilities with Japan may have ended in August 1945, but a state of war technically existed until the signing of the Peace Treaty in 1951 (taking effect in 1952). During this period, from 1945 until 1952, Japan was occupied by some of the Allied powers. While the Allied Occupation of Japan was American dominated and is often referred to as the American Occupation of Japan, the other contributing occupation force was the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, known affectionately by its abbreviation BCOF (bee-coff). Australians were not only part of BCOF: they commanded it.
Australia’s occupation force arrived in early 1946 to take over the administration of the Hiroshima prefecture from the United States. The Australian base was located in Hiro, while the BCOF headquarters was in Kure (both in the Hiroshima prefecture). BCOF, comprised of Australian, New Zealand, British and British-Indian troops, was always commanded by an Australian, and the Australians stayed the longest out of all the Commonwealth nations (see map below). At the height of its presence in 1946, Australia provided almost 12,000 troops to BCOF, and 45,000 British Commonwealth soldiers, the largest proportion of them Australian, served in Japan over the entire period. This marked the first time that Australians were involved in the military occupation of a sovereign nation which it had helped defeat in war, and can perhaps be regarded as the precursor to later participation in peacekeeping operations in the region. BCOF transitioned to the British Commonwealth Force Korea (BCFK) during the conflict in Korea, which remained stationed in Japan until 1956.
The main aims of the Allied Occupation of Japan were to demilitarise and democratise Japan. Australia also had its own reasons for participating: first, to minimise the possibility of Japan threatening Australia in the future; second, to play a role in defining the peace terms with Japan; and third, to demonstrate Australia’s ability to play a middle-power role in the Asia-Pacific region in the postwar world.
With these aims in mind, Australia not only participated in the Allied Occupation militarily, but also diplomatically and judicially. For instance, an Australian delegation participated in the Far Eastern Commission (FEC) in Washington DC, an Australian represented the British Commonwealth on the Allied Council for Japan (ACJ) in Tokyo, and an Australian, William Flood Webb, presided over the International Military Tribunal of the Far East (IMTFE) in Tokyo.
Australian participation in the occupation of Japan was also a cultural encounter. As well as soldiers and nurses, the men in the forces were joined by their families, and, moreover, men and women came to Japan as teachers, volunteers, missionaries, reporters, intellectuals and travellers. Further, many Australian soldiers married Japanese women – there were around 5-600 Japanese war brides who migrated to Australia in the early 1950s. Many of those who spent time in Japan during this period returned to Australia with a different image of the Japanese to that they held during wartime, and may be considered the vanguard of changed attitudes towards Australia's region in the postwar era.
For more on Australia and the Allied Occupation of Japan, browse this site and visit: The Allied Occupation of Japan - an Australian View
Australia’s occupation force arrived in early 1946 to take over the administration of the Hiroshima prefecture from the United States. The Australian base was located in Hiro, while the BCOF headquarters was in Kure (both in the Hiroshima prefecture). BCOF, comprised of Australian, New Zealand, British and British-Indian troops, was always commanded by an Australian, and the Australians stayed the longest out of all the Commonwealth nations (see map below). At the height of its presence in 1946, Australia provided almost 12,000 troops to BCOF, and 45,000 British Commonwealth soldiers, the largest proportion of them Australian, served in Japan over the entire period. This marked the first time that Australians were involved in the military occupation of a sovereign nation which it had helped defeat in war, and can perhaps be regarded as the precursor to later participation in peacekeeping operations in the region. BCOF transitioned to the British Commonwealth Force Korea (BCFK) during the conflict in Korea, which remained stationed in Japan until 1956.
The main aims of the Allied Occupation of Japan were to demilitarise and democratise Japan. Australia also had its own reasons for participating: first, to minimise the possibility of Japan threatening Australia in the future; second, to play a role in defining the peace terms with Japan; and third, to demonstrate Australia’s ability to play a middle-power role in the Asia-Pacific region in the postwar world.
With these aims in mind, Australia not only participated in the Allied Occupation militarily, but also diplomatically and judicially. For instance, an Australian delegation participated in the Far Eastern Commission (FEC) in Washington DC, an Australian represented the British Commonwealth on the Allied Council for Japan (ACJ) in Tokyo, and an Australian, William Flood Webb, presided over the International Military Tribunal of the Far East (IMTFE) in Tokyo.
Australian participation in the occupation of Japan was also a cultural encounter. As well as soldiers and nurses, the men in the forces were joined by their families, and, moreover, men and women came to Japan as teachers, volunteers, missionaries, reporters, intellectuals and travellers. Further, many Australian soldiers married Japanese women – there were around 5-600 Japanese war brides who migrated to Australia in the early 1950s. Many of those who spent time in Japan during this period returned to Australia with a different image of the Japanese to that they held during wartime, and may be considered the vanguard of changed attitudes towards Australia's region in the postwar era.
For more on Australia and the Allied Occupation of Japan, browse this site and visit: The Allied Occupation of Japan - an Australian View