1945

Oct. The United Nations was inaugurated.

Aug. The US dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Aug.15 The Unconditional Surrender of Japan--the US occupation began. The Maintenance of the Public Order [Chian-iji-ho] was abolished, and political prisoners were released.

Oct.31 GHQ ordered the expulsion of the militarist teachers from schools.

In this year, the war sufferers who had been camping out in Ueno area in Tokyo began to be arrested; in consequence, the people flowed into Sanya area, which was revived as the flophouse district.

Oct. In Ueno Women’s School of Higher Education [Ueno Ko-jo], Mito High School [Mito ko], and The College of Science [Rika-dai], students began to protest for democratization.

1946

Dec. France attacked Vietnam: the beginning of the war in Indochina.

Jan. Emperor Hirohito’s declaration of being a human.

Nov. The New Constitution of Japan.

Nov. In Tokyo University, the students’ self-government association [Gakusei Jichi-kai] was organized.

1947

Oct. Cominform (Communist Information Bureau) was inaugurated.

Feb. GHQ ordered the cancellation of the general strike of Feb.Jan.

Jan. Right before the Feb.1 strike, a rally of The Student Association of Kanto Area [Kanto-rengo-gakusei-taikai] took place in front of the Imperial Palace, with the slogan: “democratization and recovery of schools.”

1948

Jan. Assassination of Gandhi.

Aug. The declaration of the independence of The Republic of Korean.

Sep. The declaration of the constitution of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Feb. The new police force was organized.

Jun. Against the raise of tuition, a nation-wide general strike occurred, involving 114 schools, approximately two hundred thousand students.

Sep.8 Founding of The National Federation of Students’ self-government Associations [Zen-gaku-ren]

1949

Oct. The declaration of the constitution of the People’s Republic of China.

May. In the National Diet, the deliberation about the new legislation of education began; the government’s plan included the limitation of students’ political activities within schools. In response to this, Zen-gaku-ren organized a nation-wide strike, involving 139 schools and approximately two hundred thousand students.