Model states - Japanese reaction to SCAP
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 17-05-17 14:49
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- Japanese reaction to MacArthur and SCAP
- Although Emperor Hirohito ordered to his people to accept peace, some initial opposition to SCAP
- Oct 1945: First post-war political cabinet resigned over SCAP's order that political prisoners be freed and military and civilian officials be purged
- Cabinet of new PM (Shidehara Kijuro) aghast at two provisions in SCAP's constitution
- Renunciation of war
- Dramatic change in position of Emperor
- Hirohito accepted his changed constitutional status and told cabinet he saw no reason to reject it (Jp government accepted new constitution, although one cabinet member recorded that he 'secretly wept' with rage')
- Japanese people accepted SCAP and its policies because:
- Defeat: Japanese humiliatingly and totally defeated in war, now occupied by American soldiers
- Amazement: Japanese were amazed US occupation force
- Emperor war criminal: Many Americans thought Emperor Hirohito should be tried as war criminal, MacArthur insisted upon his retention and used him effectively. SCAP manipulated war crimes trials to ensure Emperor and royal family were not implicated, MacArthur sent Hirohito on nationwide tours to encourage positive enthusiasm for SCAP
- Respect for authority: Japanese traditionally respectful of authority
- SCAP control of media: enabled SCAP to promote its policies
- Support: Liberals, women and union leaders enthusiastically supported SCAP's constitution
- Lack of Japanese-speakers in SCAP
- Enabled Japanese authorities to change, delay and ignore SCAP instructions
- E.g. National Public Servants law of 1946 was designed to decrease powers of conservative Japanese bureaucracy, which playing lip service to the acceptance of SCAP policies, the bureaucracy became even more powerful under occupation and subverted US intent on issues such as devolution
- Enabled Japanese authorities to change, delay and ignore SCAP instructions
- Japanese thought highly of MacArthur: This was to extent newspaper editor Itakura Takuzo complained:
- "The Japanese people have long been plagued by mistaken idea that government is something to be executed by some deity, hero or great man'. He felt projecting this idea of god emperor on MacArthur was 'worst enemy of democracy'
- MacArthur certainly deserved Japanese plaudits
- He softened horrors of defeat and gave welcome sense of continuity by his retention of Emperor Hirohito
- In 1946, when Japanese people were near starvation because of good shortages (result of war and inflation), MacArthur diverted surplus US army food supplies to Jp civilians
- Jp acceptance of occupation enabled US to decrease its occupation force from 600,000-200,000 so there were fewer American mouths to feed
- He persuaded US Congress to grant Jp more financial aid than Truman administration originally planned
- He ensured Jp paid minimal reparations
- Democratic elections and Yoshida Shigeru
- From 1946, democratic elections held in Jp
- In 1946, Liberal Party won most seats and Yoshida Shigeru became Prime Minister (May 1946)
- Yoshida coexisted reasonably well with Americans, flattering MacArthur and sending Mrs MacArthur flowers and gifts.
- Yoshida consoled himself by pointing out to others in private that America had once been British colony but was now more powerful than Britain
- SCAP sometimes considered him to be independent-minded, but when US attitudes towards Jp changed, Yoshida became more acceptable.
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