1945–1990Reputable sourceWell documented
Occupation and the Economic Miracle
On the timeline · around 1945–1990 · Modern Japan
What happened
Under U.S.-led occupation (1945–1952), Japan adopted a democratic, pacifist constitution and rebuilt from the ruins of war. In the decades that followed it staged one of history's great economic transformations — the 'economic miracle' — becoming a global leader in manufacturing, electronics, and automobiles and the world's second-largest economy.
Why it matters
Postwar Japan reinvented itself as a peaceful, democratic economic powerhouse, showing how a defeated nation could rise to prosperity and reshaping the global economy in the process.