Japanese Jazz and American Occupation

Reine Campbell

MUSC-2100 – History of Jazz

Dr. Lynn Raley

 Jazz holds an interesting position among historical music genres. Its formation during the

early 20th century allowed for it to quickly spread across the entire globe. Creating in New

Orleans, there were quickly regional styles throughout the United States; it is often called the

American classical music.1 By the 1920’s, there were styles of jazz unique to all corners of the

planet, and particularly in Japan.2 Japan has had a strong jazz scene ever since, including during

WW2 and the following years of American occupation. This paper seeks to understand the

impact of American influence and occupation on the formation of Japan’s jazz culture.

Jazz was introduced to Japan in 1920 by Kikuchi Shigeya3 when he returned to Japan

with recordings of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.4 The introduction fell only three years after

the first jazz recordings were created; the emergence of globalization aided jazz in its ability to

spread like wildfire. Following Shigeya’s introduction, jazz, or jazu, became quite popular across

Japan. Paul Whiteman, one of the most popular early jazz bandleaders, helped to popularize jazz

within Japan. Whiteman created jazz “that was devoid of any black aesthetic,”5 which made the

style more palatable to both white audiences in American and also in Japan. By 1929 a full “Jazz

Age” 6 had begun.

The early Japanese jazz was more than simply music for their culture, and divulged

significantly from early American jazz. It was part of Japan’s post-WW1 modernization and had

less of a basis in earlier blues music. Japan, being considered as part of the winning side of

1
S. DeVeaux (1991). Constructing the Jazz Tradition: Jazz Historiography. Black American Literature Forum, 25(3),
525-60. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2307/3041812.
2
A. Coyle (2015). Jazz in Japan: Changing Culture Through Music. Boston College. Retrieved from
http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104170.
3
E. T. Atkins (2001 ). Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan. Duke University Press.
4
The ODJB produced the first jazz recordings in 1917.
5
Coyle, 16
6
Atkins
World War One, began to use its newfound power to modernize and industrialize.7 Jazz became

more popular with the emerging Japanese middle class. However, as Japan entered the 30’s,

cultural traditionalists within the government began to crack down on what they considered

western intrusions.8 As the world moved closer to World War 2, Japan distanced themselves from

western culture. The government worked to “diffuse”9 the predominantly western portions of the

blossoming jazz tradition to unify them under a purely Japanese identity. The jazz in Japan grew

increasingly nationalistic, along with many other facets of its culture, due to their increasingly

isolationist foreign policy. This trend continued until the conclusion of World War 2 with Japan’s

surrender to the Allied Powers, beginning the time of Japan’s foreign occupation.

In 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied Powers; at the Potsdam Conference, President

Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill agreed on Japan’s terms of surrender.10 Japan

would disarm themselves permanently, lose its status as an empire and the occupied land that

came with it, and pay reparations to the victims of its attacks. The Supreme Commander of the

Allied Powers (SCAP), headed by Douglas MacArthur, began to occupy Japan. He was an

adamant American patriot, believing that he was liberating the people of Japan from a state of

slavery.

Immediately following WW2 and Japan’s surrender, America began their occupation of

Japan. For the next seven years, American troops were stationed in Japan as part of the

occupying force. This had a profound impact of the culture of Japan. Suddenly, the western

ideals they had tried to suppress were now part of the superpower that had complete military

7
P. Jones (2022). The Twenty-Year Occupation: Cultural Reimagination and the American Occupation of Japan.
Liberty University. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1886&context=masters
8
Coyle
9
Coyle
10
Jones
control within their country. Japan’s cultural identity fractured as their governmental system and

intense nationalistic framework crumbled. Allied occupation began to rebuild not only the

physical damage to Japan, but also reconstruct the “Japanese psyche.”11 SCAP directly controlled

the information and entertainment published in Japan, through their Civil Information and

Education Section.12 This allowed for jazz to be used as a semi-propaganda tool, aiding in the

westernization of Japan.

The function of jazz in Japan had fundamentally changed during the war. It was being

used as a governmental tool to promote national pride within the populace. Japan had essentially

skipped out on the commercial style of swing that dominated the United States throughout the

1930’s and 40’s. When the occupation started, bebop and cool jazz were beginning to form in

America. These styles were collectively known as “modern jazz” 13 within Japan. At, this critical

moment of Japan’s history, when they were removing their antiquated ‘god emperor’ beliefs, the

term modern jazz was quite appealing. Their country quickly transitioned into a modern

democratic state, and their culture changed rapidly to match. Many Japanese opted to accept a

more pacifistic approach, accepting the “peace constitution”14 imposed upon them.

The occupying forces were quite fond of jazz as an art form. It was very popular among

American G.I.’s, considering it was one of the most popular genres in the U.S. at the time.

However, SCAP had other plans for its use. It became the predominant genre to back movies that

CI&E allowed to be released.15 The strategy of the SCAP was to force the acceptance of western,

11
Atkins
12
Jones
13
Atkins
14
C. I. Warren, & N. B. Tucker (2006). America in Asian Eyes. The American Historical Review, 111(4), 1092-1119.
Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.111.4.1092.
15
Coyle
specifically American culture, through sheer exposure. Jazz was the music that encapsulated

western culture and was therefore considered a top choice to be distributed.

Jazz artists quickly began to learn swing jazz and bebop style to catch up with their

American counterparts. Artists like Akiyoshi Toshiko and Hidehiko ‘Sleepy’ Matsumoto brought

jazz in Japan up to the American standard of swing and early bebop.16 Akiyoshi Toshiko,

originally born in China, was a classically trained pianist who switched to bop style after moving

to Japan.17 She was a pioneer of the style in the country and was instrumental in the

modernization of Japanese jazz piano. ‘Sleepy’ Matsumoto played with Japan’s first bop group,

the CB Nine, and toured with John Coltrane in 1966.18 He went on to lead a solo career until his

death in 2000. However, by the time Japan had mastered swing and bebop, jazz in America had

already moved onto hard bob, cool jazz, and other freer jazz styles.

SCAP had complete control over what was allowed on Japanese radio. Their censorship

was quite strict, in contrast to their claims to promote freedom and democracy. Classical music

was the main type of music to be easily allowed through the censorship, however jazz was

allowed.19 The censorships purpose was to tightly control the flow of information and the

development of postwar culture. Jazz music was essential to developing the pro-western ideals

that SCAP was looking for. However, American forces typically spread ‘watered-down’ jazz,

devoid of its African American origins.

In 1947, the movie Rhapsody in Blue was released. Approved by the CI&E, it was a sort

of covert propaganda. The film stripped jazz of its southern blues origins and focused on the

16
Atkins
17
Kernfeld, B. D. (1994). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 8
18
Kernfeld, 761
19
Coyle
connecting whiteness and American as meaning the same thing.20 The film portrayed, George

Gershwin,21 an eastern-European immigrant, as symbol of white American process. It also

contained Paul Whiteman, a cornerstone of Japan’s early jazz introduction and connection to

white America, as well as depictions of minstrelsy. SCAP had formed a perfect tool to forge their

ideal version of Japanese jazz, one devoid of blackness and purely associated with the greatness

of white America. Rhapsody in Blue was the nail in the coffin for Japanese understanding jazz’s

cultural formation. The American occupation dissociated and whitewashed the history of jazz to

make it palatable to American command and the Japanese populace. Whiteness was viewed as

modern and progressive. Jazz’s black origins carried racial prejudice along with it, making it less

useful as a propaganda tool.

Jazz began to truly boom in Japan in the early 1950’s. Many new jazz groups began to

see major success among young people across Japan. Groups like the Big Four and the Six

Lemons consider this time to be the highlight of their career.22 This spawned reactionary

criticism similar to that of America’s jazz formation. In conjunction with the rise of jazz

popularity, was the spawning of jazu kissas, or jazz cafés. These were locations where young

people could come and enjoy listening to records “for as long as they wanted.”23 This boom in

entertainment culture, along with the war on the Koreon peninsula, aided in the reintroduction of

Japan into the world economy.

In 1952, the occupation of Japan ended, though its effects on the culture of Japan would

ripple out for decades. This ended the steel grip that SCAP had on the distribution of information

20
Coyle
21
Composer of Rhapsody in Blue
22
Atkins
23
D. V. Nguyen (2022, January). ‘Society was volatile. That spirit was in our music’: how Japan created its own jazz.
The Guardian.
and entertainment throughout Japan. The now free market allowed for the creation of a very

competitive market for popular music radio stations. Popular jazz was now played regularly, both

recorded and live, by “some thirty regular programs.”24 The proliferation of jazz began to expand

past its propagandized role that it led throughout the American occupation.

The history of jazz in Japan reflects the state of America during the time period. It is a

story of racism, propaganda, and the free spirit of youth. The American occupation of Japan

severely limited what version of jazz Japan was allowed to experience. The jazz that SCAP

allowed to enter the country was deliberately stripped of its black origins and made to seem like

a white invention. Jazz was associated with the greatness of white America. The effects of

American occupation follow closely most of American history; it is the history of racism. The

use of jazz as a propaganda tool tainted its artistic value throughout the early postwar period.

Jazz was America’s music; however it did not demonstrate America’s demographics. Even with

all of the negative connotations of propagandized jazz, it still began to flourish and blossom

among the Japanese youth. Jazz an art form allowed these youth, living in an occupied country,

to freely express themselves through music.

24
Atkins
 Bibliography

Atkins, E. Taylor. 2001 . Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan. Duke University

Press.

Coyle, Alexandra. 2015. Jazz in Japan: Changing Culture Through Music. Boston

College. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104170.

DeVeaux, Scott. 1991. "Constructing the Jazz Tradition: Jazz Historiography." Black

American Literature Forum 25 (3): 525-60. https://doi.org/10.2307/3041812.

Jones, Philip. 2022. The Twenty-Year Occupation: Cultural Reimagination and the

American Occupation of Japan. Liberty University.

https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1886&context=masters.

Millar, Richard. 2003. "Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan." Asian Music 34 (2):

126-30. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4098460.

Warren, Cohen I., and Nancy B. Tucker. 2006. "America in Asian Eyes." The American

Historical Review 111 (4): 1092-1119. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.111.4.1092.