They were voices in the silence, stars in the night they showed the way and they showed what was right
Japan may have lost World War II, but in the years following defeat it built the most vibrant economy in Asia -- the often-told story of the phoenix rising from the ashes. The Japanese people also gained a new freedom, if not from hunger, then certainly from death in battle or fear of the secret police.
American Occupation authorities put limits on the democracy they brought with them, frowning on any hint of militarism or feudalism, but within those limits Japanese could write, draw and film much as they pleased -- a heady feeling indeed after decades of repression.