BCOF at eighty: new perspectives on the British commonwealth occupation force in the occupation of Japan

The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) component of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) has often been overlooked by researchers because of its minimal role in policy-making. Taking the opportunity of the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the first BCOF personnel in Japan, this special issue introduces new perspectives about the organisation based on a range of hitherto unused or under-utilised sources. The introduction begins by emphasising how BCOF’s commanding officer sought to draw attention to his troops’ contribution to the Occupation. There follows a brief overview of the existing secondary research about BCOF in English and in Japanese. The latter half of the introduction outlines the contribution that the four articles make to the special issue. Taken as a whole, the purpose of the special issue is to begin to reassess how the occupiers and the occupied understood the role and meaning of BCOF. The introduction concludes with a call for other researchers to take part in the process of making this reassessment.