Japan's obsession with America has roots in WWII. For the Japanese, the concept of emotions and will having power of their own is fundamental to their spirituality (if not consciously). They call this force "ki" (breath) and it is a measure of a being's life force. Japan was doing very well at conquering other nations in WWII, and there was a strong sense of nationalistic superiority (that Japan is better because it is destined to be).
And then America dropped two massive bombs on them. Bombs with a power that no one had ever seen, that killed invisibly and for weeks and months afterward. It was like we poisoned reality itself. This, to the Japanese, is a demonstration of ki that they never imagined was possible. It was so traumatic to the Japanese consciousness as a whole that it persists in their film TV, and manga even now (large, dome-shaped explosions that annihilate everything they touch).
We also invaded and occupied the country for years afterward, reshaping their entire culture (it's where the Japanese schoolgirl uniform comes from; the one that looks like a little sailor suit) and restricting in law how the Japanese military was allowed to develop (this is why anime and manga words for military forces translate to things like "defense force"; military was only allowed for defensive purposes). This treaty still exists and even now restricts Japan's military in ways that are making it vulnerable to China.
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Japan's obsession with America has roots in WWII. For the Japanese, the concept of emotions and will having power of their own is fundamental to their spirituality (if not consciously). They call this force "ki" (breath) and it is a measure of a being's life force. Japan was doing very well at conquering other nations in WWII, and there was a strong sense of nationalistic superiority (that Japan is better because it is destined to be).
And then America dropped two massive bombs on them. Bombs with a power that no one had ever seen, that killed invisibly and for weeks and months afterward. It was like we poisoned reality itself. This, to the Japanese, is a demonstration of ki that they never imagined was possible. It was so traumatic to the Japanese consciousness as a whole that it persists in their film TV, and manga even now (large, dome-shaped explosions that annihilate everything they touch).
We also invaded and occupied the country for years afterward, reshaping their entire culture (it's where the Japanese schoolgirl uniform comes from; the one that looks like a little sailor suit) and restricting in law how the Japanese military was allowed to develop (this is why anime and manga words for military forces translate to things like "defense force"; military was only allowed for defensive purposes). This treaty still exists and even now restricts Japan's military in ways that are making it vulnerable to China.