The United States and Cultural Heritage Protection in Japan (1945-1952)

One of the untold stories of the American military occupation of Japan, from 1945 to 1952, is that of efforts by the Arts and Monuments Division of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), for the preservation of Japan’s cultural heritage. While the role of Allies after WWII in salvaging the cultural heritage of Europe has recently become better known, not much is written of the extraordinary vision, planning and endeavors by curators and art specialists embedded in the US military and later based in Tokyo, and their peers and political masters back in Washington D.C. - all of whom ensured that defeated Japan’s cultural heritage was protected in the chaos and misery of post-war years.

Nassrine Azimi PhD is special visiting professor at Hiroshima Shudo University, a former director and current senior advisor at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the co-founder/coordinator of Green Legacy Hiroshima. She has published numerous books and opinion pieces in the international press on multi-cultural and post-conflict issues.