Occupation Of Japan Essay Research Paper For

Occupation Of Japan Essay, Research Paper

For many Americans WWII started on the forenoon of December 7, 1941 harmonizing to FDR, A twenty-four hours that will populate in opprobrium. That was the twenty-four hours that the Nipponese attacked our naval base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, and destroyed most of our Pacific fleet. For the Nipponese nevertheless their war began many old ages earlier. Some say it began on September 18, 1931. The Nipponese staged an detonation on the South Manchurian Railroad. They blamed it on the Chinese and used this as an alibi to prehend all of Manchuria. This is a popular move by the Nipponese military, but politically it made really small sense. This made Japan an criminal state by interrupting the 4 Powers Pact. After the Litton Commission reported to the League of Nations grounds for Japan making this, Japan walked out and abdicated all pacts it has signed. While some may reason that this is non truly the start of the war, it is where many of Japans problems started. From here on out, markedly the United States, looked them at from a otherwise. The popular inquiry of the clip was, what will they make next? The combat against Japan in the Pacific is arduous and cost are high for both major participants, the United States and Japan. The war comes to an terminal after the United States drops two atomic bombs on Japan. One is dropped on Hiroshima, and the other on Nagasaki. Both metropoliss are leveled, along with many other urban countries by conventional bombardment. Although this is still really controversial it may hold saved many lives on both sides since the U.S. had programs to occupy the island state. In September of 1945 on the battlewagon U.S.S Missouri the Nipponese resignation to the allied powers. This may be looked at as the beginning of the terminal. The U.S had been be aftering for an business, for every bit long as 25 old ages is needed. There were three chief stages set for this business. The rebuilding of Japan had a long manner to travel, many inquiries needed to be answered, and much work needed to be done before the business would be deemed complete. The first stage in be aftering the business centered on subject. How rigorous should they be, who should be disciplined, and many other inquiries? There was a all right line to be drawn here. The Alliess wanted the business to travel swimmingly, but still wanted to guarantee subject had been instilled. They decided that there would be a test of war felons, Those responsible needed to be punished. The severe stringency would be enforced to put precedency, but they did non desire to unnecessarily mortify the Nipponese people. Phase two was the chief focal point and had the most inquiries environing it. This was the stage of democratisation. How to germinate a devastated authorities into a broad, constitutional authorities for this state. At the same clip it had to vouch that there would be no revival of militarism by a state that had seen an copiousness of bloodshed in its recent history. Depending on how the patterned advances of stage two went the business force wanted to bit by bit loosen up the limitations that had been ingrained during the first stage. Phase three would depend on how the preceding stages had developed and was two crease. The first portion of this would be how to orchestrate Japan back into the universe economic system. How fast and to what magnitude this happened would depend on how the economic reforms had been accepted. The 2nd portion would be fixing Japan to take their topographic point as responsible members in the United Nations. The business would non be the same as it had happened in Germany. There would be no zones of business, where different states occupied different zones. In Japan there would be merely one commanding officer in head, the American Supreme commanding officer. SCAP as it was later to be called ; Supreme Commander Allied Powers would embrace the regulating organic structure of the business force and besides stand for the adult male named to take this business. The U.S. defined itself as leader of this business, they did nevertheless petition that an consultative commission be formed from the 11 states taking portion in this project. Named the Far Eastern Advisory Council ( FEAC ) , it was to confer with and rede SCAP, but non command in any ways its actions. This may non hold been to the liking of the other states engaged in the business, but they saw the futility in contending the U.S. place on this subject. That was the appliance set for the defeated state of Japan. The following large inquiry was who would be its leader. The commanding officer of the Pacific Theatre, General Douglas MacArthur was named to head SCAP, and this single shortly personified the business. MacArthur s male parent was a military adult male ; he was a colonel in the 24th Wisconsin Volunteers during the Civil War and subsequently went on to go military govenor of the Philippines. MacArthur entered West Point in 1899 and graduated foremost in his category. After graduation in 1905 he joined his male parents staff in Japan as an adjutant de campe. After a long military calling he retired in 1937, but was called back to active responsibility in 1941. At age 65 General Douglas MacArthur was named the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers. During the business his glare far outweighed his defects. The Japanese for his dedicated sense of the mission respected MacArthur. He besides gave them strong personal leading at a clip when they greatly needed person to follow. This was a clip when most of Japan was oppugning whether or non they could swear their ain leaders. His graciousness during the first few old ages of the business established his prestigiousness and authorization. This along with the fact that they bulk of the business force treated the Japanese as worlds made the operation flow drum sander that antecedently expected. MacArthur s first job presented itself even before he came to the island state. The inquiry was how to handle the emperor? Many believed at this clip that it was he who had ordered the onslaught on Pearl Harbor. A Gallop canvass taken in 1945 showed that, 33 % of Americans wanted to see him hanged, 37 % felt he should be put on test and either exiled, or put in prison. Merely 7 % felt he should stay as emperor and be used as a tool to back up the business. So there were two sides to this issue. A paper written by Hugh Borton felt we should maintain him, and that his powers should non be revoked. Alternatively he should merely hold the authorization to depute administrative responsibilities to subordinate functionaries ; this would be used to guarantee the good behaviour of the Nipponese people. Borton besides stated that merely those willing to function the direct supervising of Allied civilian personal businesss officers should be allowed to remain in office. To maintain the emperor safe he was to be placed into protective detention and moved out of Tokyo, where if demand be he could be removed from the function of political instrument with small quandary. On the other side of the coin some felt he needed to be removed. Earle Dickover wrote an article with this point of view. He felt that the emperor should be instantly removed from all power and establishment. To go forth him in his former function would perpetuate an undemocratic establishment, precisely opposite of the United States purposes. Dickover felt that it was necessary to discredit the emperor s establishment in the eyes for the Nipponese people to advance democracy. His memoranda stated that a clean interruption from the past must be made to set up a democracy. The determination was made, and on January 1, 1946 Emperor Hirohito made his Declaration of Humanity address. MacArthur felt that it was instrumental to maintain him enthroned as a constitutional sovereign. He told Washington that ruinous effects could be expected if he were to be removed. Apparently they agreed with him. There were two chief facets of the business, one positive, and one negative, each with many parts. The first portion was the demilitarization, dismantling Japans war machine. Part two was the democratisation of Japan, a much more complex and time-consuming facet of the business. The demilitarization was much simpler, at least much clearer cut than the democratisation was. The existent demilitarization had for the most portion already taken attention of itself with the licking of the war machine. All that SCAP had to cover with was the dust left strewn about the withdrawn imperium. The Empire had been, with the resignation, reduced to the Islands of Japan proper. What remained of the armed forces were ordered to stand down, they were disbanded and abolished. In Japan there was a demobilisation of about 2.2 million military personnels, they were for the most told to turn in their arms, given a rupture wage, and told to travel place. There was at manus the more complex undertaking of conveying the 3.3 million military personnels place from abroad. This involved the roll uping them from all over the south Pacific, processing, delousing, paying them a rupture, shutting of their personal records and so directing them place besides. While this was being completed another procedure of demilitarization was being conducted. All military installings were razed ; all equipment was either destroyed, or shipped out of the state. All military supplies were confiscated. These supplies were so determined to be utile for assistance or non. Any point that could be used as assistance for the ailing civilian population was distributed. Military supplies without civilian utilizations were destroyed. The other major job with the demilitarization was associated with the retrenchment of the claims to set down Japan held. There were about 3.2 million civilians in these repatriated states that wanted to go forth their former Nipponese districts and travel back to the islands of Japan. This was besides no simple undertaking to acquire them back to Japan and treat them back into the state, and supply nutrient and shelter to those who needed it. There was still the job of covering with those charged with being war felons. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East was formed to pealing down the concluding drape on Nipponese militarism by learning the Nipponese that war does non pay. The Tribunal consisted of 11 Judgess stand foring as many different states. Its responsibility was to seek high Nipponese political leaders charged with duty of doing determinations taking to offenses against peace. There was the alleged category A felon. From May 3 1946 until November 12, 1948 the 11 Judgess sat in tribunal reexamining instance after instance of war offenses. Seven people, all but one being generals were hanged, 16 were committed to prison for the balance of their lives, and to were given footings of less than life in prison. None of those tried by the Tribunal were acquitted of their charges. The following grouping of those on test were the category B felons. This group consisted of about 20 high ranking military officers who were charged with bid duty for military personnels what had committed atrociousnesss. Two generals were tried in ad hoc tribunals still on the battleground instantly after resignation and were executed. The remainder were tried by a particular military tribunal in Tokyo set up by SCAP and all were acquitted. The biggest category was the category C felons. This group consisted of lesser officers, and work forces charged with the mistreatment of captives of war, or smaller offenses. Other Allied tribunals conducted some of these tests overseas, most nevertheless were tried in Yokohama. These tribunals were set up by SCAP and were largely military committees of the 8th Army. The category C felons consisted of about 4,200, of that about 400 were acquitted, about 700 were sentenced to decease, and the balance were sentenced to assorted prison footings. The last part of demilitarization was the purging directive, which was issued on January 4, 1946. This act was designed to, automatically take from eligibility for political office anyone who had played a portion in advancing Nipponese aggression or hawkish patriotism. Included in this group were military officers, caputs of nationalist organisations and abroad concerns. Over 222,000 individuals were declared ineligible to keep any political office in the new political order of Japan. SCAP felt that this would assist the new democracy boom an out with the old and in with the new attitude. This system was non without its defects. For the most portion the civilian bureaucratism was left integral. There was truly no other pick since it was needed to run the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours concern of Japan. This bureaucratism did pull off to derive strength and go a major power in political relations after the war.The foremost major measure in democratisation was the revamping of the old Meiji Constitution. SCAP put this undertaking to Prime Minister Shedehara, who enrolled a commission of legal bookmans and administrative officials and told them to liberalise the fundamental law. Three months subsequently on February 1, 1946 this new fundamental law was presented to MacArthur, who felt that the alterations made had been to conservative. MacArthur felt it was clip for SCAP to step in, in order for this new democracy to acquire traveling it had to hold a new fundamental law. MacArthur appointed General Courtney Whitney with these directives. The emperor was to be kept as a constitutional sovereign and to maintain him responsible to an electorate based upon broad representative right to vote. The fundamental law would besides criminalize war and the devising of war by this state. Whitney took this to his authorities subdivision of SCAP and within six yearss the new fundamental law was complete. MacArthur wanted this fundamental law to hold the feeling that it was written by the Nipponese, for the Japanese. This impression failed since it had many undertones from the U.S. fundamental law. It was taken to the emperor who yieldingly accepted it for the people. There are six chief points to this new fundamental law. First was that autonomous power was now with the people and no longer in the custodies of the emperor.

Second was that the people of Japan renounced war everlastingly. Next the local liberty increased in power and those places were now elected. The cabinet was now responsible to the Diet as in the British system. There was besides and independent bench and a new assortment of human rights.

Another major focal point of SCAP was that of reforms to the state. First of these was the economic reforms. Initially the Alliess wanted to guarantee that Japan could ne’er once more possess the economic potency to pay war. By making this there would no uncertainty be economic adversities endured by the Nipponese, but these would be looked upon as requitals for the war. The chief job seen here was that by maintaining a state so weak this mean that the Alliess would hold to financially back up it. One procedure to be used was the dismantlement of mills used in the production of war goods ; those that produced consumer goods would be allowed to go on production. This was shortly found to be unrealistic. Before and during the war old ages Japan had been bled dry. The bombardment in the past months had leveled many mills. Natural stuff were now about non-existent in Japan, and fuel was even more scarce. Japan was in shambles. Factories were at merely 10 % of prewar production degree. Shelfs in shops were bare of nutrient or manufactured goods. The population of Japan was devouring merely approximately 1/5 as much nutrient as wartime GI s had per individual. To set it merely there merely was non plenty nutrient left in the state. Newspapers published circulars to inform people of what wild workss could be eaten ; the past few old ages rice harvest had been manner down. SCAP shortly figured out that no democratic thoughts would be accepted until the state was non traveling hungry. MacArthur requested exigency nutrient and medical supplies to safeguard U.S. military forces form the morbid and hungry Nipponese. In world these supplies were for the morbid and hungry Nipponese. The Nipponese authorities had merely paid 1000000s of soldiers their rupture wage and the occupying forces besides had money. So while the state was broke there was still a batch of money being put in circulation, doing the right conditions for rising prices. To battle this the authorities imposed monetary value and income ceilings, which merely helped to make a black market. Many Asiatic states were still expecting war insurances from Japan. These insurances were more that equal to the staying economic assets of Japan. The U.S. declared these reparations over because of grounds stated supra. This earned the U.S. much grasp from Japan, but did non set them in every bit good of graces with the other Asiatic states. Another of the economic reforms was the deconcentration, better known as the Zaibatsu busting. Since prewar old ages most of Japans industry was under about 12 big fiscal households, these households were running Japan. SCAP forced them to dispose of their stocks ; this was to guarantee that no monopolies would be formed in this new society. To guarantee this happened MacArthur formed a Deconcentration Review board made up of five outstanding U.S. business communities to analyze these actions. Some felt that this was all simply done to penalize the Zaibatsu for assisting finance the war, while others said it was to guarantee that Japan could ne’er vie with the U.S. in a universe market. In world SCAP felt that the Zaibatsu was undemocratic and had to be dissolved to help in the democratisation procedure. It was shortly seen that the deconcentration plan was working against SCAP. The Deconcentration Review Board rapidly decided that alternatively of downsizing all 1200 corporations it had slated the nine already completed fulfilled the undertaking. With that the Review board announced the plan was completed. The deconcentration ne’er was allowed to take full form, but it did hold some positive effects. The two major Zaibatsu houses, Mitsui, and Mitsubishi had been broken up into over 240 separate companies, although they would be reunited some old ages subsequently. They plan was sound in theory. There were 12 fiscal houses that controlled 80 % of the states industrial, commercial, and fiscal endeavors. This evidently forms an unhealthy state of affairs for a state. Another reform undertaking was that of Labor reforms, this action in Japan did see many hints from the New Deal. As in many states workers here had ne’er had a opportunity to derive any rights, this was about to alter. The Trade Union Act was passed by the Diet in December of 1945. It gave workers the right to form, jointly deal and to strike. It besides prohibited unjust patterns by employer. Unionization was besides promoted with this reform. In prewar Japan there were merely approximately 420,000 brotherhood members in a work force of some 6 million. Soon it was non uncommon for the caput of a house to take the enterprise in forming a brotherhood in his ain company. The Numberss were shortly at about 6-7 million brotherhood members in a 12 million-man work force. SCAP felt that a liberated on the job category was indispensable in organizing a democracy. They merely expected to hold more control over the growing. Unions ne’er got a just opportunity in pre war Japan, the work force was over 40 % agricultural and the mill workers had an about illimitable supply of labour from immature adult females who wanted to acquire off the farm and into the metropolis. The industry of the clip was fabrics enchantress was largely unskilled and the work force was made up of immature adult females. This had development written all over it. After the war the industry changed more to machinery and chemicals. These required more skilled labour and more specialisation, add these to the Torahs passed in the Trade Union act and it was merely the right clip for workers to right the grudges of pre war labour. In 1947 the Labor Standard Act was passed. This set a minimal criterion for working hours, holidaies, safety and sanitation precautions, ill foliages, and accident compensation. There were besides criterions puting limitation on adult females and child labour. These were the highest criterion Japan had of all time seen for its workers and really rated high with the remainder of the universe every bit good. This was still non the best of times ; it was still difficult for a worker to populate on their salary due to rising prices. In this tattered economic system employers were frequently no better off that their employees. Union work stoppages normally produced small in the manner of consequences since the employer could non run into the demands of the workers. In one instance of an urban railway company the workers went back to work running the trains, but merely did non roll up a just from any of the riders. The brotherhoods were shortly acquiring out of manus and were no longer held in cheque by SCAP. Be this excessively much to shortly for the despoiled state? SCAP decided that it needed to check down on the boisterous brotherhoods. On February 1, 1947 the menace of military action was used to stop a work stoppage. From that point on the energetic labour work stoppages clashed with constabulary, U.S. military constabulary, and sometimes even combat units in support of the M.P.s. MacArthur ordered Prime Minister Hitosi Ashida to enforce terrible limitations on the brotherhood activities ; this revised the Trade Union Law and made it much less broad To no surprise this enraged the Nipponese labourers, they felt they had been betrayed by SCAP. They did hold a right to be enraged, but some of their demands were impossible to run into. To inquire for such extremist alterations so rapidly after organizing these brotherhoods was non healthy to reconstructing the despoiled economic system, nor was it possible to run into these demands since the employers were in no better fortunes than the employees were. This was on was of the biggest reverses that SCAP encountered during the full business. The 3rd major reform was to the land ; it was besides the most successful. This reform captured the imaginativeness of MacArthur, perchance since his male parent conducted a land reform in the Philippines old ages before. The reform called for eviction of absentee landlords. Landowners could hold 7.5 estates for themselves to farm and the remainder of the land was bought by the authorities, which could so be bought at sensible monetary values. This changed the belongings rights of over 6 million households and the full construction of societal relation. The countryside was now changed into a society of little and independent husbandmans. This was a immense project that formed anyplace between 11,000 and 13,000 land committees, made up of five renter husbandmans, 2 landowner-cultivators, and three landlords. Over 5,000,000 estates were transferred, and over 2,000,000 million renter husbandmans were now landholders. This may hold been what kept Japan from communism after the business, since it strengthened the peasant population, and they had no ground to revolt. It did non do everything good though. No affair how the land was divided at that place merely was non adequate land in Japan for the figure of husbandmans. Many husbandmans had to sell their harvests to the black market to do adequate money to last. There were a figure of societal reforms that needed to take topographic point. MacArthur said that, Purportedly the Japanese were a twentieth century civilisation. In world they were more near a feudal society, of the type discarded by the western states some four centuries ago. One of the biggest societal reforms was the emancipation of adult females in Japan. In the first general election that allowed adult females suffrage 13 million adult females voted and 39 were elected to the Diet. Women as stated in the fundamental law were peers. Education was another major reform. A twenty-seven-member U.S. Education Mission came to Japan and implemented many thoughts from the U.S. school system. In 1947 the Fundamental Law of Education was passed. This paved the manner for the elections of local school boards, which in bend dissolved the Ministry of Education. The local school boards were given control of what instructors to engage the cirriculum and text edition. The Mission besides changed the multi tracked Nipponese school system into the individual path system of the U.S. along with that they tried to take the patriotism in schools and replace it with more democratic thoughts. The chief ends of the business were traveling along with no major drawbacks. The U.S. was sing options of stoping the business, but these were sped along by other secular events. In 1947 the Cold War is upon the U.S.. MacArthur feels it is in the best involvement of the business to guarantee Japan is our ally. This is where the U.S. business does a kind of contrary class. This was merely more enforced in 1949 when China had its popular communist revolution. Many in the U.S. started to inquire Article 9 in the Nipponese fundamental law saying that they would ne’er once more construct an ground forces or pay war might hold been a bad thought. This is when the Zaibatsu are allowed to organize once more, and is besides when the National Defense Force is formed as a strictly defensive military force. MacArthur feels that this is the clip to stop the business. Washington does non hold. In 1950 the Korean War breaks out and Japan is used as major thoroughfare for U.S. military personnels heading to and from Korea. This is a really economically comfortable clip for Japan.All these factors gave Japan dickering power when the U.S. wanted to negociate a backdown of the occupational forces. Japan was reconstructing really fast economically and it could see that with all that was go oning on this side of the universe that it was in the best involvement of the U.S. to be on good footings with Japan. Yoshida and John Foster Dulles negotiated the pact that shortly became know as the Yoshida Doctrine. The Doctrine can be summed up in three major points. First is the fact that Japan s economic rehabilitation must be the premier national end, and cooperation with the U.S. was necessary to carry through this. Second Japan would be allowed to stay lightly armed to avoid engagement in international political-strategic issues. This would besides work out in favour of Japans economic system, since their people would be allowed to do industrial additions, alternatively of worrying about military engineering. Lastly was that in order to vouch it ain long term security Japan would supply bases for the U.S. on Nipponese dirt. This Doctrine remained in consequence with the U.S. until the terminal of the cold war about forty old ages subsequently. Why did Japan respond so good to the business? One of the chief grounds may be that their universe as they had known it had collapsed. The economic system, the metropoliss, and their work force were all lying in ruins. To many Nipponese the resignation had come as a alleviation. Another ground may be the fact that their past policies had ne’er encountered business, during the Tokugawa period they were isolated to merely a few foreigner. Subsequently at the terminal of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth they were imperialist and could non be conquered. The business of allied forces may hold thrown them off balance sufficiency that they were susceptible to the new influences that were thrust upon them. Besides Japan was a society of regulations, and when something happens that s non in the regulations they tend to lose their bearings. MacArthur may hold been a factor besides, he had and overmastering image and treated the Japanese as human existences, non as a vanquisher would handle the conquered. Finally the Nipponese people did non demo any major marks of animus toward the U.S. or its occupational forces, to them the horrors of war were merely portion of the game. Overall the business can be counted as a success. There were drawbacks of class. From hindsight it is easy to see all the jobs non anticipate antecedently and happen solutions to these. The business did reconstruct Japan towards a major universe economic leader that can non be disputed. Never earlier have alterations of such magnitude taken topographic point in such a short span of old ages with such a positive consequence. Few good things come out of war, but the rebuilding of Japan can decidedly be viewed as one of the few.