Reference Entry
SAN FRANCISCO PEACE TREATY
When the peace treaty with Japan came into force on this day, it formally ended the Allied occupation that had begun after World War II. United States forces remained in Japan under a separate security agreement, but the legal relationship changed from occupier to ally. American bases now operated with the consent of a sovereign Japanese government, and the two nations began to frame their cooperation in terms of shared defense in an emerging Cold War.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
San Francisco Peace Treaty takes effect
When the peace treaty with Japan came into force on this day, it formally ended the Allied occupation that had begun after World War II. United States forces remained in Japan under a separate security agreement, but the legal relationship changed from occupier to ally. American bases now operated with the consent of a sovereign Japanese government, and the two nations began to frame their cooperation in terms of shared defense in an emerging Cold War. For United States soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines stationed there, the shift meant working alongside the developing Japan Self-Defense Forces rather than directing a disarmed former enemy. The treaty’s implementation marked the success of a massive postwar reconstruction and reform effort, turning a former adversary into a cornerstone partner for American strategy in the Pacific.
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