Why didn't America ban Japan on high-tech robots

[cuejqi]

During the whole Astro Boy series,I have a question to ask.Since WW2,America has been banning japan on high army techniques while protecting it.(In essence, making the most use of Japan). If Japan scientists really sets his minds on high-tech robots, especially those with high synthetize abilities and martial potentials.Unfortunately ,astro is one of the best robots in the world.in this view,the technique used in creating astro must have exceeded most advanced ones in Europe and America.
So I wonder HOW Tinma made him under this situation.Maybe ,stealing some peak technologies from USa or Isreal?

[ASTRO BOY IS AWESOME!]

i don't really get it

[cuejqi]

unfortunately I'm a women of hollow illusion,so please pardon while I am always asking such strange questions..

[jeffbert]

During the whole Astro Boy series,I have a question to ask.Since WW2,America has been banning japan on high army techniques while protecting it.(In essence, making the most use of Japan). If Japan scientists really sets his minds on high-tech robots, especially those with high synthetize abilities and martial potentials.Unfortunately ,astro is one of the best robots in the world.in this view,the technique used in creating astro must have exceeded most advanced ones in Europe and America.
So I wonder HOW Tinma made him under this situation.Maybe ,stealing some peak technologies from USa or Isreal?

cuejqi, by 'ban' I take it you mean forbid? So your 1st sentence you mean that the USA was withholding high-tech military items from Japan, that is, though now allies, the US does not trust Japan enough to share the technology?

Perhaps I should ask you to rephrase your statement, as I do not understand it.

[Androids101]

Two things:

1) Please no political discussions.

2) This might have gone better in the 'General Discussion' er, sub-forum.

As for the question, I really doubt that Tezuka really thought about that when writing that manga - I mean, since it is Japanese, written in Japanese and published in Japan, it doesn't make much sense to have an America robot as the main character! And really, why would information about Tenma 'stealing' from other countries be written in it, although he didn't do that, obviously.
And I think that we can all agree that Japan is one of the world-leaders in terms of robotics, especially when created humanoid ones. So, yeah, Astro is a Japanese robot, and its not really that suprising.

[Bigdog]

Since the story is set in an alternate 21st Century with higher technology than our own and since Japan has been America's ally since the end of World War II , it would not really matter about the technology since the political situation parallels today remarkably for being a manga series written 60 years ago.

I suggest there would be rivalry like today , but it would not exactly translate into a distrust and hatred that pervaded the Cold War from when this series came from. If anything, America would assist its allies and with the whole Academy of Science that's international in the Astro Time of 2013 , an influx of scientists from both nations would traverse between both if necessary especially if they were collaborating on projects and experiments like today in our world.

If there was any banning of some sort , I cannot see it in the two volumes of manga I've read since pretty much everywhere is high tech as far as I know because I'm not sure if there is any rural or open spaces like we have today. The only sort could be a military ban like Japan has had , but nothing related to robots or consumer products.

There's nothing really to discuss politically , but socially , if such bans were to have occurred, the power of the private companies would pull the strings and lessen America's "grip" on Japan if there was any to begin with. Thus , by Astro's time, technology in Japan is pretty much on par or above the rest of the world .

And if the ban was in firm place, there would be either a more primitive Astro Boy or none at all, leaving Tenma to slowly go mad or not at all ,since there's no Astro Boy his wife would still be at his side to bring him back . Heck, you could say that another child might have been born who had a condition like Tony Stark in the Ultimate Iron Man comics , wearing a liquid armor and then make himself a mechanical suit ,being called "Captain Atom" or "Astro Boy/Girl" . And that there would be a cool take .

But Tezuka probably never considered any of this since American occupation was really strong plus he was a man who believed in peace between all of us . Plus it would be a highly boring story for kids if the robots weren't in society like they are .

[AprilSeven]

Interesting points, Bigdog, and welcome to the forum!!

I've often wondered how Tezuka himself would update Astro's "origin story" if he were still alive today - seems like if Toby were killed and Tenma wanted to bring him back, he could simply CLONE him.

But then, a clone wouldn't have cool features like laser fingers, butt guns or 100,000 hp!!

It's neat how he did foresee Japan and the US as allies back then, and also the many things (from architecture to "cell phones" and flat screen TV's) that didn't appear until after his death.

No flying cars, though!

[Bigdog]

Interesting points, Bigdog, and welcome to the forum!!

I've often wondered how Tezuka himself would update Astro's "origin story" if he were still alive today - seems like if Toby were killed and Tenma wanted to bring him back, he could simply CLONE him.

But then, a clone wouldn't have cool features like laser fingers, butt guns or 100,000 hp!!

It's neat how he did foresee Japan and the US as allies back then, and also the many things (from architecture to "cell phones" and flat screen TV's) that didn't appear until after his death.

No flying cars, though!

I think it would be an awesome alternate universe . It would basically be today , but there would be some resentment towards America if that were the case ,possibly like how South Korea views Japan would be how it would view America.However, I could never really see Tezuka or any author for the series go into that direction for ten more years until it stops being a somewhat touchy issue. I don't want to get further politically as it's pretty much etiquette anywhere and it wouldn't be a good idea unless it's kept in check.

The reason why I said another son is that since his wife would be by his side and give him the emotional support which was lost with the creation of Astro Boy as we all know what happened, he would probably raise another , for in my speculations would be a spitting image of Tobio , but like the Ultimate Iron Man. And since his older brother would have became a scientist if not for the disaster, the younger sibling (Or brother) would be too, possibly gaining a heroic streak like Astro . He becomes an apprentice of Ochanimizu after his father "passes" and with his assistance , creates a body armor to fight crime using the name "Captain Atom" as his friends called him.

I would love to make a comic along those lines and get it published .

And besides, private companies have shown to do whatever they want so American advancement into Japanese culture and their lives would evolve over the 50 years ,perhaps becoming another state or a Venice to the American elite as a protectorate as it's seen on the Caribbean islands, maybe even letting them go and creating an entirely different Japan that we know of now ,perhaps bringing the possibility of robots in the Japanese Archipelago and advanced ones like Astro and Uran a little bit later. ..