The economic impact of large influxes of population is a complex topic. This research contributes to this field by examining one of the most significant, but least researched, examples of postwar migration – the repatriation of more than six million (including three million civilians and demobilised soldiers each) to Japan after the Second World War. One pervasive image of Japanese civilian repatriates is that of the immigrant farmer of Manchuria who settled as a part of Japan’s Manchurian policies and had difficult repatriation experiences under the hostility of local people. However, many returned from other regions as well, including Korea and Sakhalin, and repatriates consisted of not only farmers but also colonial government officials, employees of public and private corporations, and small business owners, amongst others. This paper specifically focuses on civilian repatriates in selected prefectures (Ibaraki, Hiroshima, Kanagawa and Osaka) in 1956 and their occupational changes during the time of economic transition. Whilst it is evident that for many repatriates the postwar transition was not entirely smooth, the data presented in this research suggests that in contrast to prevailing notions, repatriates’ postwar resettlement was facilitated by a) employment in family farming and the tertiary sector, b) employment at government agencies or c) the transferability of repatriates’ skills in industry and retail and services. The information from the 1956 government survey into repatriates’ postwar lives shows that approximately 60 per cent of repatriates fell in these categories, while the other 40 per cent found employment in new areas or became unemployed. As a result, despite the scale of the repatriation, the settlement was broadly successful. It can be argued that this type of transition helped to bring political and economic stability, which became a foundation of Japan’s postwar growth.

中文翻译：

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帝国回归后：日本平民遣返的经济经验，1945-56

大量人口涌入的经济影响是一个复杂的话题。本研究通过考察最重要但研究最少的战后移民案例之一，为该领域做出贡献——二战后超过 600 万（包括 300 万平民和复员士兵）遣返日本。日本平民遣返的一个普遍形象是满洲农民的形象，他们作为日本满洲政策的一部分在当地定居，并在当地人的敌意下经历了艰难的遣返经历。然而，许多人也从其他地区返回，包括韩国和库页岛，遣返者不仅包括农民，还包括殖民政府官员、公共和私人公司的雇员以及小企业主等。本文特别关注 1956 年选定县（茨城、广岛、神奈川和大阪）的平民遣返及其在经济转型时期的职业变化。虽然很明显，对于许多遣返者而言，战后转型并不完全顺利，但本研究中提供的数据表明，与普遍观念相反，遣返者的战后重新安置得益于 a) 家庭农业和第三产业的就业，b)在政府机构就业或 c) 遣返者在工业、零售和服务领域的技能的可转移性。1956 年政府对遣返者战后生活的调查显示，大约 60% 的遣返者属于这些类别，而另外 40% 的人在新的领域找到了工作或失业。结果，尽管遣返的规模很大，但解决方案大体上是成功的。可以说，这种转型有助于带来政治和经济稳定，这成为日本战后增长的基础。