Christopher Aldous | University Of Winchester (original) (raw)

Books by Christopher Aldous

Whilst most facets of the Occupation of Japan have attracted much scholarly debate in recent deca... more Whilst most facets of the Occupation of Japan have attracted much scholarly debate in recent decades, this is not the case with reforms relating to public health. The few studies of this subject largely follow the celebratory account of US-inspired advances, strongly associated with Crawford Sams, the key figure in the Occupation charged with carrying them out. This book tests the validity of this dominant narrative, interrogating its chief claims, exploring the influences acting on it, and critically examining the reform’s broader significance for the Occupation and its legacies for both Japan and the US. The book argues that rather than presiding over a revolution in public health, the Public Health and Welfare Section, headed by Sams, recommended methods of epidemic disease control and prevention that were already established in Japan and were not the innovations that they were often claimed to be. Where high incidence of such endemic diseases as dysentery and tuberculosis reflected serious socio-economic problems or deficiencies in sanitary infrastructure, little was done in practice to tackle the fundamental problems of poor water quality, the continued use of night soil as fertilizer and pervasive malnutrition. Improvements in these areas followed the trajectory of recovery, growth and rising prosperity in the 1950s and 1960s.

This book will be important reading for anyone studying Japanese History, the History of Medicine, Public Health in Asia and Asian Social Policy.

Many Western commentators have expressed their admiration for the Japanese police system, tracing... more Many Western commentators have expressed their admiration for the Japanese police system, tracing its origins to the American Occupation of Japan (1945-52).

This study challenges the assumptions that underlie these accounts, focusing on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese police during the Occupation. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, Christopher Aldous explores the extent to which America failed in its goal of 'democratizing' the Japanese police force, arguing that deeply-rooted tradition, the pivotal importance of the black market, and the US's decision to opt for an indirect Occupation produced resistance to reform. His study concludes with a consideration of the postwar legacy of the Occupation's police reform, and touches on a number of recent controversies, most notably the case of Aum Shinrikyo

Articles and chapters by Christopher Aldous

Environment and History, 2020

Environmental scientists and activists in the early twenty-first century have identified producti... more Environmental scientists and activists in the early twenty-first century have identified productive, healthy soils as a key factor in feeding a rapidly increasing global population and mitigating climate change. This article argues that serious food shortages in Japan following its defeat in 1945 caused the fertility of its soils to become a pressing issue for the Allied Occupation (1945–52) and one seen as central to the success of democratisation. The prospect of famine in the cities in 1946 and 1947 and associated political unrest justified urgent imports of food from the US, causing much resentment among its allies, who questioned the seriousness of the food supply crisis in Japan. The Occupation’s Natural Resources Section worked to reduce Japan’s dependence on food imports by surveying Japan’s soils and recommending their rapid augmentation with chemical fertilisers, the manufacture of which had practically ceased during the war. The US imported nitrogenous fertiliser to supplement inadequate domestic output and provided phosphate ore (for superphosphate fertiliser) from Florida, in addition to encouraging Japanese mining operations on Angaur Island, formerly part of the Japanese empire. The latter generated conflicts with the natives of the island, the local US naval command and the Australian government. Such tensions demonstrate the many and varied facets of the ‘fertiliser problem’, which was seen as pivotal to food supply and economic recovery. Major imports of agricultural commodities from the US after 1952 reflected its Cold War alliance with Japan. Likewise, significant transfers of technology contributed to a steep increase in the use of agricultural chemicals, causing the fertiliser problem to become a pressing environmental one by the 1990s.

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by The White Horse Press in
Environment and History, available online at http://www.whpress.co.uk/EH.html. It
is not the copy of record. Copyright © 2020, The White Horse Press.

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 26 (4), 338-67, 2019

This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling... more This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling from 1946, focusing on the negotiations and concessions that underline the nature of the Allied Occupation as an international undertaking. Britain, Norway, Australia and New Zealand objected to Japanese pelagic whaling, chiefly on the grounds of its past record of wasteful and inefficient operations. As a result of their opposition, the Natural Resources Section of GHQ SCAP was forced to increase the number of Allied inspectors on board the two Japanese whaling factories from one to two, and to respond carefully to the criticisms they made of the conduct of Japanese whaling. United States sensitivity to international censure caused the Occupation to encourage the factory vessels to prioritize oil yields over meat and blubber for domestic consumption. Moreover, General MacArthur summarily rejected a proposal to increase the number of Japanese fleets from two to three in 1947. With its preponderance of power the United States successfully promoted Japanese Antarctic whaling, but a tendency to focus only on outcomes obscures the lengthy and difficult processes that enabled Japanese whaling expeditions to take place on an annual basis from late 1946

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 22 (2), 2015, 136-162

This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspe... more This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspect of the US Occupation - namely the interrelationship between GHQ AFPAC (Armed Forces Pacific),its military organization, and GHQ SCAP (Supreme Command for the Allied Powers), with the primary mission of democratic reform. It also examines the previously overlooked work of SCAP's Natural Resources Section, particularly its wildlife branch under its leader Oliver Austin, who clashed with members of the US military over the need to restrict their hunting activities. A keen ornithologist, Austin worked hard to uphold a conservation program based on sound economic and ecological principles, viewing the mist netting of small insectivorous birds for food as counter-productive in agricultural terms. In contrast, he regarded the netting of waterfowl on special preserves where shooting was illegal as an efficient and sustainable means of harvesting game for domestic consumption. Members of the US military objected to such limits, choosing to shoot in protected areas despite the damage done to the livelihoods of Japanese netting communities. The behaviour of these Americans, who resented any restrictions on their leisure activities, reveals a colonial mindset that reflected the belief that US military control over Japan excused them from complying with Japanese laws.

This article analyzes both the policy debates within the American Occupation over famine, food re... more This article analyzes both the policy debates within the American Occupation over famine, food relief and nutrition in Occupied Japan (1945-52) and the contested terms in which the debate was conducted. Conflict arose over muddled accounting of food intake in calories, a rampant black market that suggested a failure of equitable distribution, and the absence of serious unrest despite imports falling short of minimal stated requirements. Occupation authorities questioned estimates made by the Japanese government. There was internal disagreement among American authorities in Japan and between interested parties in Washington, as well as among the Allies in the Far Eastern Commission. Herbert Hoover's Famine Emergency Committee of 1946 sounded an alarm, and the Food and Fertilizer Mission of February 1947 marked a shift away from rather crude quantitative measures of caloric intake to more subtle qualitative ones of dietary balance and combinations of nutrients. The Occupation's chief concern then became the dearth of animal protein. Attempts to correct this shortfall by reestablishing Japan's fishing and whaling industries proved unpopular with U.S. allies. The Occupation preferred to champion the success of its school lunch program, whose core component - powdered skim milk imported from the United States - was viewed as an invaluable weapon in the Cold War.

Historical assessments of the Occupation's efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typhoid, ... more Historical assessments of the Occupation's efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and dysentery) have generally reflected a celebratory narrative of US-inspired public health reforms, strongly associated with the head of the Public Health and Welfare Section, Crawford F. Sams. Close inspection of the documentary record, however, reveals much greater continuity with pre-war Japanese public health practices than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there are strong grounds for disputing American claims of novelty and innovation in such areas as immunisation, particularly in relation to typhoid vaccine, and environmental sanitation, where disparaging comments about the careless use of night soil and a reluctance to control flies and other disease vectors reveal more about the politics of public health reform than the reality of pre-war practices. Likewise, the representation of American-inspired sanitary teams as clearly distinct from and far superior to traditional sanitary associations (eisei kumiai) was closer to propaganda than an accurate rendering of past and present developments.

Japanese Studies, Jan 1, 2006

This article examines the typhus epidemic that occurred in Occupied Japan during 1945 and 1946, e... more This article examines the typhus epidemic that occurred in Occupied Japan during 1945 and 1946, exploring its origins, how it unfolded and the measures taken to suppress it. It challenges the assumption made by Japanese and Occupation personnel at the time that it originated amongst Korean labourers and was spread by them throughout Japan as they left coal mines in Hokkaidō to return to Korea via ports in southern Honshū and Kyūshū. In order to demonstrate that this was a misrepresentation that disregarded endemic foci of the disease within Japan, attention is paid to a previous epidemic of typhus in Tokyo in 1914, and the relationship between endemic, murine typhus and its louse-borne epidemic counterpart. The combination of factors that produced serious outbreaks of the disease in Osaka and Tokyo in 1946 is explored, and the huge importance attached to ‘mass dusting’ with DDT subjected to critical scrutiny.

Modern Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2003

The build-up and development of the Okinawan struggle for reversion to Japanese administration do... more The build-up and development of the Okinawan struggle for reversion to Japanese administration does not figure prominently in the English-language literature on the American occupation of Okinawa, nor does it occupy a central place in Japanese analyses of this subject. Rather there is a tendency to view Okinawa as a subset of US-Japanese postwar relations, and to explain reversion as a process carried through by senior American and Japanese officials, largely governed by high-level diplomatic and military-strategic considerations. There is often only passing mention of the rising tensions within Okinawa itself and, perhaps more importantly, the increasing effectiveness through the 1960s of the indigenous reversion movement centred on the Okinawa Teachers' Association (Okinawa kyoshokuinkai). For example, John Welfield's trenchant account of the ‘three years of tortuous negotiations’ that culminated in November 1969 in an American pledge to return the islands hardly mentions conflicts within Okinawa itself, remarking only that ‘the swing to the left’ in 1968 foreshadowed major problems for the US if Okinawan demands for reversion were not met.

Japan and Okinawa: Structure and Subjectivity. …, Jan 1, 2003

Papers by Christopher Aldous

The journal of American-East Asian relations, Jul 24, 2015

This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspe... more This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspect of the u.s. Occupation—namely the interrelationship between General Headquarters, Armed Forces Pacific (ghq, afpac), its military organization, and the more familiar General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (ghq, scap), with the primary mission of democratic reform. It also examines the previously overlooked work of scap’s Natural Resources Section, particularly its wildlife branch under its leader Oliver Austin, who clashed with members of the u.s. military over the need to restrict their hunting activities. A keen ornithologist, Austin worked hard to uphold a conservation program based on sound economic and ecological principles, viewing the mist netting of small insectivorous birds for food as counter-productive in agricultural terms. In contrast, he regarded the netting of waterfowl on special preserves where shooting was illegal as an efficient and sustainable means of harvesting game for domestic consumption. Members of the u.s. military objected to such limits, choosing to shoot in protected areas despite the damage done to the livelihoods of Japanese netting communities. The behavior of these Americans, who resented any restrictions on their leisure activities, reveals a colonial mindset that supported the belief that u.s. military control over Japan excused them from complying with Japanese laws.

The thesis examines the role of the Japanese police during the American Occupation of Japan (1945... more The thesis examines the role of the Japanese police during the American Occupation of Japan (1945-52), highlighting the problems that attended reform of this key institution. It contends that there was tension between the commitment to democratise the police on the one hand and the decision to engage in an indirect Occupation on the other. Emphasis on the ambivalence of US policy, mirrored by divisions within GHQ, SCAP, helps to explain the discrepancy between the professed aims of police reform and its actual results. Parallels are drawn between the prewar/wartime police and its postwar counterpart, particularly with regard to the range of duties undertaken and the attitude of the police towards ordinary Japanese. Historical legacies stretching back to the beginning of the Meiji period and beyond are juxtaposed with the ideas of American reformers, determined to circumscribe the role of the police and to dissolve its ties with the Japanese establishment. Both aims were difficult to...

The Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 2019

This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling... more This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling from 1946, focusing on the negotiations and concessions that underline the nature of the Allied Occupation as an international undertaking. Britain, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand objected to Japanese pelagic whaling, chiefly on the grounds of its past record of wasteful and inefficient operations. Their opposition forced the Natural Resources Section of General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, to increase the number of Allied inspectors on board the two Japanese whaling factories from one to two, and to respond carefully to the criticisms they made of the conduct of Japanese whaling. U.S. sensitivity to international censure caused the Occupation to encourage the factory vessels to prioritize oil yields over meat and blubber for domestic consumption. Moreover, General Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. Occupation commander, summarily rejected a proposal to increase t...

The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations 1600–2000, 2002

In a study of German—American cultural relations in the post-war period, Manuela Aguilar defines ... more In a study of German—American cultural relations in the post-war period, Manuela Aguilar defines cultural diplomacy as ‘the way a government portrays its country to another country’s people in order to help achieve certain foreign policy goals’.1 Interestingly Philip Taylor, focusing on ‘cultural propaganda’ during the interwar period, sees its purpose in similar terms — ‘the promotion and dissemination of national aims and achievements in a general rather than specifically economic or political form, although it is ultimately designed to promote economic and political interests’.2 The establishment in 1934 of the British Committee for Relations with Other Countries, a title shortened to ‘British Council’ in 1936, represented the belated realization in British political circles that cultural propaganda issued by other nations, particularly fascist regimes, was weakening British influence in strategic areas. However dramatic an innovation the establishment of the British Council may have seemed to those involved, they must also have been only too aware that Britain was embracing cultural diplomacy very late in the day — long after other governments had done so — and that there were many in government circles, particularly in the Treasury, intent on judging it against very exacting criteria.

Disability Studies Quarterly, 2015

Nihon ishigaku zasshi. [Journal of Japanese history of medicine], 2008

Historical assessments of the Occupation's efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typho... more Historical assessments of the Occupation's efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and dysentery) have generally reflected a celebratory narrative of US-inspired public health reforms, strongly associated with the head of the Public Health and Welfare Section, Crawford F. Sams. Close inspection of the documentary record, however, reveals much greater continuity with pre-war Japanese public health practices than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there are strong grounds for disputing American claims of novelty and innovation in such areas as immunisation, particularly in relation to typhoid vaccine, and environmental sanitation, where disparaging comments about the careless use of night soil and a reluctance to control flies and other disease vectors reveal more about the politics of public health reform than the reality of pre-war practices. Likewise, the representation of American-inspired sanitary teams as clearly distinct from and far superior ...

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 2010

The Journal of Japanese Studies, 2013

METI has pushed to improve access for Japanese timber-trading companies overseas and how imported... more METI has pushed to improve access for Japanese timber-trading companies overseas and how imported timber has been used to support powerful industries, such as the construction and paper industries. The ethical problems associated with Japan’s timber trade are discussed in terms of its contribution to the displacement of people overseas and the destruction of woodland and loss of biodiversity. The three case study chapters each discuss ethical and moral questions in relation to global environmental policy but largely in more general and normative terms. There are only weak links back to the theoretical and philosophical discussion about how ethics are viewed in Japanese culture and history in these empirical chapters. While overall I really appreciated this book, a more careful and systematic treatment of the ethical and moral argumentation would have strengthened its contribution to an important theoretical debate. Despite a few weaknesses, the book is a rich addition that adds both an important theoretical debate about ethics into studies of the environment and sustainable development and some new empirical case material of global environmental protection in Japan. The theoretical arguments made at the beginning of the book could be more strongly integrated into the case studies. It would also be helpful to have more discussion of why the progrowth “iron triangle” has been forced to change policies in some, but not all areas. The book will be of interest to all concerned with the environmental and energy challenges facing Japan and the Asian region.

This book will be important reading for anyone studying Japanese History, the History of Medicine, Public Health in Asia and Asian Social Policy.

Environment and History, 2020

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 26 (4), 338-67, 2019

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 22 (2), 2015, 136-162

Japanese Studies, Jan 1, 2006

Modern Asian Studies, Jan 1, 2003

Japan and Okinawa: Structure and Subjectivity. …, Jan 1, 2003

The journal of American-East Asian relations, Jul 24, 2015

This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspe... more This article explores divisions over hunting game in postwar Japan, illuminating a neglected aspect of the u.s. Occupation—namely the interrelationship between General Headquarters, Armed Forces Pacific (ghq, afpac), its military organization, and the more familiar General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (ghq, scap), with the primary mission of democratic reform. It also examines the previously overlooked work of scap’s Natural Resources Section, particularly its wildlife branch under its leader Oliver Austin, who clashed with members of the u.s. military over the need to restrict their hunting activities. A keen ornithologist, Austin worked hard to uphold a conservation program based on sound economic and ecological principles, viewing the mist netting of small insectivorous birds for food as counter-productive in agricultural terms. In contrast, he regarded the netting of waterfowl on special preserves where shooting was illegal as an efficient and sustainable means of harvesting game for domestic consumption. Members of the u.s. military objected to such limits, choosing to shoot in protected areas despite the damage done to the livelihoods of Japanese netting communities. The behavior of these Americans, who resented any restrictions on their leisure activities, reveals a colonial mindset that supported the belief that u.s. military control over Japan excused them from complying with Japanese laws.

The Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 2019

This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling... more This article scrutinizes the controversy surrounding the resumption of Japanese Antarctic whaling from 1946, focusing on the negotiations and concessions that underline the nature of the Allied Occupation as an international undertaking. Britain, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand objected to Japanese pelagic whaling, chiefly on the grounds of its past record of wasteful and inefficient operations. Their opposition forced the Natural Resources Section of General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, to increase the number of Allied inspectors on board the two Japanese whaling factories from one to two, and to respond carefully to the criticisms they made of the conduct of Japanese whaling. U.S. sensitivity to international censure caused the Occupation to encourage the factory vessels to prioritize oil yields over meat and blubber for domestic consumption. Moreover, General Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. Occupation commander, summarily rejected a proposal to increase t...

The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations 1600–2000, 2002

Disability Studies Quarterly, 2015

Nihon ishigaku zasshi. [Journal of Japanese history of medicine], 2008

Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 2010

The Journal of Japanese Studies, 2013

Nissan Occasional Paper, 2000

Page 1. ENIGMA VARIATIONS: REASSESSING THE KÔBAN CHRISTOPHER ALDOUS & FRANK LEISHMAN ... CHRI... more Page 1. ENIGMA VARIATIONS: REASSESSING THE KÔBAN CHRISTOPHER ALDOUS & FRANK LEISHMAN ... CHRISTOPHER ALDOUS Christopher Aldous is Senior Lecturer in Japanese History at King Alfred's College of Higher Education, Winchester. ...

American Journal of Sociology, 2009

Environment and History, 2020

Criminal Justice Matters, 2001

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10371390600986694, Dec 11, 2006