The Nineteenth Amendment and the U.S. "Women's Emancipation Policy" in Post-World War II Occupied Japan: Going Beyond Suffrage

Authors

Cornelia Weiss

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of the Nineteenth Amendment on U.S. military occupation policy in Post-World War II Japan. A mere 25 years after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, actions taken during the military occupation did not stop at suffrage for Japanese women. Actions included a constitution that provided for women’s “equality” (what, even 100 years after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, is still absent in the U.S. constitution). In addition to addressing women’s suffrage and constitutional equality, this paper examines the successes and failures of the Occupation to eradicate the legal enslavement of women, to eliminate the patriarchal family structure, and to “protect” women. This paper concludes by addressing the future through the lens of the 200th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment.

Recommended Citation

Weiss, Cornelia (2019) "The Nineteenth Amendment and the U.S. "Women's Emancipation Policy" in Post-World War II Occupied Japan: Going Beyond Suffrage," Akron Law Review: Vol. 53: Iss. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/akronlawreview/vol53/iss2/4