Memoirs of an American Family in Occupied Japan

A soldier in the US Army stationed in Japan after World War II, John (“Jack”) Allison was given the opportunity to return home with an honorable discharge after four years of service. Yet he decided to further postpone his career in the US, and stay on to help rebuild the country with which he had been at war. Joining him in that adventure, with their three-year-old daughter, was his wife, Marion Allison. These are the memoirs of their experiences just before and during the American occupation of Japan, from the time Jack enlisted in the army in 1942 to their return home in 1951. Jack’s training and experience in finance enabled him to make significant contributions to the economic reconstruction of Japan, and to eventually rise to the position of Director of Finance, Economic and Scientific Section, in the staff of General Douglas MacArthur. This is a unique account by two Americans of their experiences in the vastly different culture of post-war Japan, during an exhilarating time of renewal, with insights into the common bonds of humanity that transcended the cultural divide.