Why does MacArthur’s evaluation of a Japanese congresswoman not rely solely on ambiguity?

After Japan surrendered, MacArthur served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Japan and began his five-year reign as the Supreme Emperor of Japan. From Manila to Tokyo, he received countless praises and supreme honors. It stands to reason that now that he has achieved success and become the "dictator" of the former empire, he can rest on his "book of achievements" and enjoy this honor.

However, MacArthur was a person who was good at making troubles. Doing nothing and waiting to die was not his character. Now, his goal is to transform the minds of 76 million Japanese people, turn Japan into an "ideal" country, and even import values ??that influence today. MacArthur is probably the only one in the United States who has achieved such a historical achievement.

MacArthur completely turned Japan into a demilitarized country.

In order to implement the transformation plan smoothly, MacArthur did a lot of work to win over people's hearts, the most important of which was to help the Japanese survive the famine. The Japanese people had strong feelings for this man who was above the emperor. People are becoming more and more fond of him and are convinced by everything he does. When the time came, MacArthur decided to start with the demilitarization of Japan.

First of all, Japan's former Ministry of War and Ministry of the Navy were renamed the Bureau of Demobilized Military Personnel, and they were responsible for the repatriation of soldiers. We must know that the Japanese army after the war still had about 7 million people, 3 million of whom were scattered in the vast area from Northeast China to the Pacific Islands, and 3 million civilians were also scattered overseas.

The issue of the return of these people and the repatriation of soldiers to the homeland can easily lead to political unrest if not handled properly. MacArthur decided to leave this "hot potato" to the Japanese to solve themselves, thereby avoiding a direct confrontation between the occupying forces and the demobilized veterans. In hindsight, MacArthur's approach was prescient.

Second, treat veterans well. Most veterans are faced with the dilemma of losing their families and having no livelihood. Disabled soldiers feel that their future is bleak, and many choose to commit suicide. After learning of this, MacArthur ordered that if the veterans who were demobilized encountered difficulties in life or other aspects, the US military stationed in Japan must do their best to help solve them.

More importantly, completely destroy the arsenal and a large number of weapons and equipment. To this end, the key task of the 8th Army of the US Army stationed in Japan is to search all over Japan, blow up ammunition depots, sink warships and destroy weapons. Military industrial enterprises, shipyards and various military bases were simply razed to the ground and destroyed. into parks and temporary residential areas.

In more than a year, under the command of MacArthur, the vast majority of the 3 million soldiers and civilians scattered overseas withdrew to Japan, and 12,000 fighter planes of various types, as well as countless tanks, All employees of firearms and military-industrial enterprises were transferred to other enterprises. In the streets and alleys, no one wearing Japanese military uniforms can be seen anymore.

At the same time, MacArthur asked the Japanese government to amend the constitution.

In Japan in 1946, under MacArthur's dictatorship, Emperor Hirohito issued a "Mortal Declaration", stating that he and his fellow citizens were the same "mortal body" and had no "superpowers"; Another 200,000 militarists were fired. He wants to take advantage of this "enthusiasm" to carry out an earth-shaking reform of Japan's political system.

First, the Allied headquarters issued a "civil rights and freedom directive". It requires the Japanese government to abolish all repressive laws, cancel press approval and other systems, release political prisoners, and give citizens the right to freedom of speech; dissolve all secret agencies and gendarmerie; citizens have freedom of religious belief, and personal property is protected by law.

The second is to amend the Japanese Constitution. The new constitution formulated by the Japanese government went through several revisions, but it failed to meet MacArthur's requirements. He simply formulated it himself. The general principles are: completely eradicate the imperial power system. The emperor is a national symbol and the throne is hereditary;

What is even more gratifying is that everyone has citizenship rights, and Japanese women have been completely liberated. They have become civil servants, policemen, and can even participate in politics; workers are encouraged to form trade unions to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests; and they implement their obligations Education, so that more children from poor families can go to school. These measures are deeply welcomed by ordinary Japanese people.

This series of reforms is historically known as the MacArthur Draft. It is actually a combination of the American and British systems. Among them, retaining the emperor indeed complied with the psychological needs of the Japanese people at that time and was conducive to the advancement of reform.

Soon, various media outlets in Tokyo published the draft of the new constitution with titles such as "Sovereignty lies with the people" and "Abandon war".

In general, the majority of the Japanese people support the "MacArthur Draft", especially retaining the status of the emperor, with an approval rate of 85%, and 70% of the people support giving up the war. Interestingly, in Japan's first post-war parliamentary election, 13 million women gained the right to vote for the first time, and an unprecedented 39 people were elected as members of parliament.

But a "prostitute congressman" made many people uneasy. When MacArthur learned that she had more than 250,000 votes, he said: "She didn't get it all through ambiguity, right?" and sent a congratulatory letter to all members (including the criticized female member). In his memoirs, he wrote: "Of all reforms, the most satisfying is the change in the status of women."

References: "World War II", "Veterans Never Die, MacArthur's Memoirs"

Welcome to search and follow? Talking about history under the poplar tree?//Learn history and spread culture Positive energy//Please do not reprint without authorization!