Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan

Religious freedom is a fundamental principle of the United States, but the American occupation of Japan in 1945 obscured important Japanese political debates about the issue. Jolyon Baraka Thomas' book "Faking Liberties" reconstructs these debates and shows that a dialogue about freedom of religion ensued that constructed a new global set of political norms that continue to form policies today.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 336 pages
\n Publication date: 08 April 2019
\n Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
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Religious freedom is a fundamental principle upon which the United States was established, and it has often been invoked to support policies towards other nations. This was evident in 1945, when Americans occupied Japan following World War II. While the Japanese constitution had guaranteed religious freedom since 1889, the United States deemed this protection inadequate and, upon the occupation's conclusion in 1952, claimed to have successfully replaced it with genuine religious freedom. However, Jolyon Baraka Thomas challenges this narrative by conducting a fresh analysis of pre-war Japanese law. Through his research, Thomas reveals that the occupiers' triumphant account obscured significant Japanese political debates about religious freedom. In fact, Thomas demonstrates that American occupiers themselves held diverse opinions on the matter. By reconstructing these lively debates, Faking Liberties upends the notion of American authorship and imposition of religious freedom. Instead, Thomas demonstrates that during the Occupation, a dialogue about religious freedom emerged, which constructed a new global set of political norms that continue to shape policies today.

\n Weight: 518g\n
Dimension: 225 x 149 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780226618821\n \n