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In the early 1970s some Japanese historians embarked on a critical examination of the overwhelmingly positive evaluation of the reforms, most notably Land reform, implemented by the Allied Forces during the Occupation period (1945-52) which had hitherto been predominant. This marked the initial step towards reevaluating the impact of the Occupation on Japanese institutions and, on a broader scale, prompted a reexamination of the discontinuity between the prewar and postwar period. What was at stake in this long-lasting debate was the very definition of "postwar". This essay delves into the pivotal phases of this debate, aiming to shed light on how the concept of continuity evolved into an essential reference point within the historical debate and how this impacted on the peculiar application of the category of "postwar" to Japanese contemporary history.

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