How Indians in post-war Japan rebuilt their lives under Allied occupation

In the years immediately following Japan’s defeat in World War II, life was far from easy for the small Indian community living in the country. The East Asian nation was under Allied occupation, led by the US military. Trade was restricted, livelihoods had been disrupted, and many Indians were struggling to adapt to the economic reality.

The Indian Liaison Mission, established in Tokyo in 1947 as a temporary arrangement for the duration of the occupation, kept track of the 164 Indians living in Japan, including 54 dependents, most of whom were based in Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.

In its annual report for 1949, the mission described the community’s economic condition as “not satisfactory”, although some members owned landed property. “Most of them were trying to adjust themselves under the new conditions,” the report noted. “Due to controls and restrictions, they were not able to carry on with their trade or find work sufficiently to cover their needs.”

During the first two years of the occupation, imports and exports in Japan were permitted only through a government-to-government barter system controlled by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur.

There was a temporary reprieve in 1947, when the occupation authorities allowed 400 private traders to visit Japan...

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