For Peggy Hayama, recalling the Occupation brings to mind a secret affair with the radio. Each night, the Tokyo teenager would listen to the armed forces station and the seductive sounds of jazz and big band swing. She was entranced by Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
Her parents, who were traditionalists, would have been shocked. But her small act of rebellion -- which eventually changed her life -- was just one indication of the enormous effect that the Occupation would have on Japanese women.
There was plenty that needed changing. Before the Occupation, women were regarded as part of the property of the household, an entity governed by its head: a man. They could not vote, run for office or own property, and had few rights within the family.