1947 : NEW JAPANESE CONSTITUTION ENACTED:
On May 3, 1947, Japan's postwar constitution goes into effect. The
progressive constitution granted universal suffrage, stripped Emperor
Hirohito of all but symbolic power, stipulated a bill of rights,
abolished peerage, and outlawed Japan's right to make war. The
document was largely the work of Supreme Allied Commander Douglas
MacArthur and his occupation staff, who had prepared the draft in
February 1946 after a Japanese attempt was deemed unacceptable.
As the defender of the Philippines from 1941 to 1942, and commander of
Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific theater from 1942 to 1945,
Douglas MacArthur was the most acclaimed American general in the war
against Japan. On September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo
Bay, he presided over the official surrender of Japan. According to
the terms of surrender, Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government
were subject to the authority of the Supreme Commander for Allied
Powers in occupied Japan, a post filled by General MacArthur.
On September 8, Supreme Commander MacArthur made his way by automobile
through the ruins of Tokyo to the American embassy, which would be his
home for the next five and a half years. The occupation was to be a
nominally Allied enterprise, but increasing Cold War division left
Japan firmly in the American sphere of influence. From his General
Headquarters, which overlooked the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo,
MacArthur presided over an extremely productive reconstruction of
Japanese government, industry, and society along American models.
MacArthur was a gifted administrator, and his progressive reforms were
for the most part welcomed by the Japanese people.
The most important reform carried out by the American occupation was
the establishment of a new constitution to replace the 1889 Meiji
Constitution. In early 1946, the Japanese government submitted a draft
for a new constitution to the General Headquarters, but it was
rejected for being too conservative. MacArthur ordered his young staff
to draft their own version in one week. The document, submitted to the
Japanese government on February 13, 1946, protected the civil
liberties MacArthur had introduced and preserved the emperor, though
he was stripped of power. Article 9 forbade the Japanese ever to wage
war again.
Before Japan's defeat, Emperor Hirohito was officially regarded as
Japan's absolute ruler and a quasi-divine figure. Although his
authority was sharply limited in practice, he was consulted with by
the Japanese government and approved of its expansionist policies from
1931 through World War II. Hirohito feared, with good reason, that he
might be indicted as a war criminal and the Japanese imperial house
abolished. MacArthur's constitution at least preserved the emperor as
the "symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," so Hirohito
offered his support. Many conservatives in the government were less
enthusiastic, but on April 10, 1946, the new constitution was endorsed
in popular elections that allowed Japanese women to vote for the first
time. The final draft, slightly revised by the Japanese government,
was made public one week later. On November 3, it was promulgated by
the Diet--the Japanese parliament--and on May 3, 1947, it came into
force.
In 1948, Yoshida Shigeru's election as prime minister ushered in the
Yoshida era, marked by political stability and rapid economic growth
in Japan. In 1949, MacArthur gave up much of his authority to the
Japanese government, and in September 1951 the United States and 48
other nations signed a formal peace treaty with Japan. On April 28,
1952, the treaty went into effect, and Japan assumed full sovereignty
as the Allied occupation came to an end.
history.com/tdih.do
progressive constitution granted universal suffrage, stripped Emperor
Hirohito of all but symbolic power, stipulated a bill of rights,
abolished peerage, and outlawed Japan's right to make war. The
document was largely the work of Supreme Allied Commander Douglas
MacArthur and his occupation staff, who had prepared the draft in
February 1946 after a Japanese attempt was deemed unacceptable.
As the defender of the Philippines from 1941 to 1942, and commander of
Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific theater from 1942 to 1945,
Douglas MacArthur was the most acclaimed American general in the war
against Japan. On September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo
Bay, he presided over the official surrender of Japan. According to
the terms of surrender, Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government
were subject to the authority of the Supreme Commander for Allied
Powers in occupied Japan, a post filled by General MacArthur.
On September 8, Supreme Commander MacArthur made his way by automobile
through the ruins of Tokyo to the American embassy, which would be his
home for the next five and a half years. The occupation was to be a
nominally Allied enterprise, but increasing Cold War division left
Japan firmly in the American sphere of influence. From his General
Headquarters, which overlooked the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo,
MacArthur presided over an extremely productive reconstruction of
Japanese government, industry, and society along American models.
MacArthur was a gifted administrator, and his progressive reforms were
for the most part welcomed by the Japanese people.
The most important reform carried out by the American occupation was
the establishment of a new constitution to replace the 1889 Meiji
Constitution. In early 1946, the Japanese government submitted a draft
for a new constitution to the General Headquarters, but it was
rejected for being too conservative. MacArthur ordered his young staff
to draft their own version in one week. The document, submitted to the
Japanese government on February 13, 1946, protected the civil
liberties MacArthur had introduced and preserved the emperor, though
he was stripped of power. Article 9 forbade the Japanese ever to wage
war again.
Before Japan's defeat, Emperor Hirohito was officially regarded as
Japan's absolute ruler and a quasi-divine figure. Although his
authority was sharply limited in practice, he was consulted with by
the Japanese government and approved of its expansionist policies from
1931 through World War II. Hirohito feared, with good reason, that he
might be indicted as a war criminal and the Japanese imperial house
abolished. MacArthur's constitution at least preserved the emperor as
the "symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," so Hirohito
offered his support. Many conservatives in the government were less
enthusiastic, but on April 10, 1946, the new constitution was endorsed
in popular elections that allowed Japanese women to vote for the first
time. The final draft, slightly revised by the Japanese government,
was made public one week later. On November 3, it was promulgated by
the Diet--the Japanese parliament--and on May 3, 1947, it came into
force.
In 1948, Yoshida Shigeru's election as prime minister ushered in the
Yoshida era, marked by political stability and rapid economic growth
in Japan. In 1949, MacArthur gave up much of his authority to the
Japanese government, and in September 1951 the United States and 48
other nations signed a formal peace treaty with Japan. On April 28,
1952, the treaty went into effect, and Japan assumed full sovereignty
as the Allied occupation came to an end.
history.com/tdih.do
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