Jack William Fleming | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Jack William Fleming
Title: Meth, Rape, & State: Japan’s Post-War Drug Epidemic
Major: History
Minor: East Asian Studies
Advisors: Margaret Ng Wee-Siang; James Bonk

Following the Second World War, Japan faced the immense challenge of redefining itself as a democratic and globally engaged nation-state after its failed imperial expansion and descent into fascism. As the country struggled with reconstruction and recovery, an unexpected crisis emerged—a methamphetamine epidemic. This thesis examines how Japan’s initial response to the methamphetamine epidemic hindered its post-war recovery, disrupting public order, fueling mass social anxiety, and challenging the government’s ability to foster stability and progress. However, through gradual trial and error, decisive government action, the galvanization of public-led initiatives, and a restructured and centralized approach to public health and law enforcement, Japan eventually overcame this crisis. By analyzing these efforts, this paper argues that Japan’s handling of the epidemic became a nation-building initiative in itself. This investigation finds that Japan’s ability to adapt and implement effective solutions to the methamphetamine epidemic demonstrated its resilience and capacity for good governance, helping it redefine itself as a new nation-state.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.