When the conquerors showed their face... MacArthur's Occupation of Japan

[EdZiomek]

In America, it is mentioned with some pride of how Douglas MacArthur allegedly treated the Japanese people with integrity and honor and fairness AFTER the surrender. War criminals, some of them, most of them, were tried in courts and several were executed, though I don't know the numbers.

Understand, even before the war ended, the Russians had invaded Manchuria from the West (I think 3 days before the end of the official war).

And also we are told that MacArthur realized the vast necessity of a cooperative Japanese nation towards the United States, as a counter balance to Soviet aggression at that time.

One story I will tell you, and it may be urban legend, it may be myth, it may even be based on truth... I have no way of knowing, but an American person, one of the occupiers of post war Japan either as a soldier or contractor, was found out to be a serial rapist of Japanese women. As was told to me, by the son of the assassin, MacArthur ordered that a young American Lieutenant be instructed to publicly shoot and kill this person in the Japanese train station, and something to the effect, drop a sign saying "rapist" on his body, then walk away. I swear to the readers, this is exactly as it was told to me, I am not making it up, but it may be embellished after 60 years and third person retelling of the story, or it may simply not be true.

The idea was, where a public trial and publicity would hurt the American image of honorable occupation of Japan, it was MacArthur's way of saying to the Japanese people... "We will not tolerate Americans dishonering innocent Japanese civilians in any way".

I mention this as a possible reason why Japanese citizens have let the ugliness and horrors of history pass on, and have a favorable view of America today.

Any thoughts?

 

[Ewok85]

I mention this as a possible reason why Japanese citizens have let the ugliness and horrors of history pass on, and have a favorable view of America today.
Any thoughts?

Considering there was, in effect, a martial law it wouldn't be surprising, but without a source its just hearsay If that single event had been so widely known it would be easy to source.

The facts of what did happen are compelling enough. When Japan surrendered America stepped in and became the government - something that had never happened before anywhere. MacArthur saw that there was no food, and petitioned the Senate to send aid, because without it there would only be more suffering, rioting, and the occupation would be in vain. The Senate (rather unwillingly) agreed, and along with similar actions America and Japan worked together to rebuild the country, and I'm sure that is where alot of the good feeling comes from.

 

[caster51]

War criminals, some of them, most of them, were tried in courts and several were executed, though I don't know the numbers

Most B & C war criminals that was said in south Asia were not tried proper trials and were excuted

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

Considering there was, in effect, a martial law it wouldn't be surprising, but without a source its just hearsay If that single event had been so widely known it would be easy to source.

Nevertheless, it is wierd/interesting/unique enough to be true. You never know.

The Senate (rather unwillingly) agreed, and along with similar actions America and Japan worked together to rebuild the country, and I'm sure that is where alot of the good feeling comes from.

Considering a lot of conservativism, militarism, the prevalence of uyoku, and other right-wing trends, I must ask just how much there really is goodwill towards the U.S. and Americans in general.

 

[Ewok85]

What I've had a small interest in is what happened to the thousands of children who were made orphans during the war? My wife said something along the lines of they were picked up off the street and basically became slaves, some were put into the custody of the state, and some worked hard and got on with life somehow.

 

[Arch]

Well, this kind of thing will always be debatable and it could be simply not true. Whatever the Americans did or happened in this sitution is irrevelent, the most important thing to remember that without America after the war, Japan would probably be nothing.

 

[pipokun]

What I've had a small interest in is what happened to the thousands of children who were made orphans during the war? My wife said something along the lines of they were picked up off the street and basically became slaves, some were put into the custody of the state, and some worked hard and got on with life somehow.

Probably, your wife does not know what the word, slave, means in English or I should say she use the word a bit differently from others.

the most important thing to remember that without America after the war, Japan would probably be nothing.

Right.
ファイル:Divide-and-rule plan of Japan.png - Wikipedia
Red=>USSR
Blue=>US
Green=>UK
Yellow=>China

No peace treaties between Japan and Russia for years even after the cold war.

 

[The7thSamurai]

This is something that I'm really, really interested in, and I hope to one day be able to read (in Japanese) testimonies and real stories about the everyday person's first contact with the Americans after the landing.

I agree that had it not been for the honourable and noble way the US treated Japan during the occupation, the country as we know it today would still be a "developing" nation. The Japanese were brainwashed to believe that the US soldiers would do nothing but rape and kill if they landed on the mainland, so it was this myth that MacArthur tried to, and successfully quashed within weeks after the first landing. For the first days US soldiers were not even permitted to speak to the local people, then after that the only contact the Japanese public had with the US soldiers was when they were directing traffic or rebulding roads etc. This shocked a lot of Japanese, and caused them to wake up from the lie they'd been living in. Soon after the US soldiers became known to only really be people who the kids could get chocolate from, and in the following few years children all around the country actually invented their own games based around occupation. A bit like cops and robbers - the US being the good guys. MacArthur himself actually retained an almost demi-god like status too. There were statues and thanksgivings in his honour. Although his reputation was tarnished a little when after the occupation ended he referred to the Japanese nation as "a nation of children". Although in context he was saying this to defend the Japanese people who were accused as being as bad as the Germans. The German people, in his opinion, were more "adult" as a nation and thus held more responsibility to all that happened in the war. Some people in Japan took it the wrong way though.

Although I highly doubt that story that you heard, EdZiomek. If it was true then MacArthur would have been charged on some sort of conspiracy to murder, but he definately did put in place rules to make sure things were done in an honourable way.

 

[The7thSamurai]

What I've had a small interest in is what happened to the thousands of children who were made orphans during the war? My wife said something along the lines of they were picked up off the street and basically became slaves, some were put into the custody of the state, and some worked hard and got on with life somehow.

There were thousands of war orphans. In Tokyo they used to hang about Ueno station, committing petty crime just to get by. A lot of them were taken advantage of and used as a means to commit crime, mostly food, as there was a massive food shortage for several years after the surrender. The orphan issue was one of the biggest tragedies of after the war, as a lot of Japanese just didn't care, and even looked down on them as dirt. Ironically, many of these people were the ones who so strongly supported the war. I've also read that when these young kids were picked up by the police or whoever, they would be counted as ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki... which is the counting method used for counting small animals.

 

[EdZiomek]

Bucko...good points.

What I did not tell you is that this Lieutenant allegedly committed the assasination, in deepest secrecy of its origins, although purposely in full uniform to send the message, and he was immediately transfered to some other Pacific location but still under the control of Douglas MacArthur. Only 50 years later did this "father" or "grandfather" tell his child about this extremely secret and troublesome act that he committed, under orders, while in uniform.

But I am not surprised, the soldier/contractor was executed. A dark, dark secret, maybe the darkest of all American secrets, is the number of American soldiers executed by Americans during World War II, for reasons like desertion, treason, fraternizing with the enemy, and even I have read.... sleeping on his guard position.

A most famous story, but not well publicized, is the story of John F. Kennedy, future President of the United States, who was fraternizing with a Danish bombshell, Inge Binge, who was found to be a Nazi spy, and may have been executed. Now coupled with this astonishing discovery was the known sympathies of Joseph Kennedy towards Adolf Hitler before the war, for which he was thrown out of England when he was Ambassador. John Kennedy's punishment as a young Naval Ensign was a choice...Court Martial or to be assigned to a Motor Torpedo Squadron in the Solomon Islands, a high risk, almost deadly assignment. Hence PT 109. Most of this information was too publicly embarrassing for the American public, and the Kennedy name was too famous and well known, therefore, things were kept quiet in that case too.

PS...John's brother Joe Kennedy Jr. was killed in a very mysterious airplane explosion, over the English Channel, in some secret "bomb by remote control, radio guided, unmanned bomber" experiment...which went terribly wrong!

Do I think the "assasination-of-a-rapist" story is true? Yes, probably.

And thank you Ewok and Pipokun, Bucko for the "orphans of Tokyo" stories...very heart breaking, and true, I have to believe.

 

[Ewok85]

Probably, your wife does not know what the word, slave, means in English or I should say she use the word a bit differently from others.

My wife knows perfectly what slave means in English, but her explanation of it was in English and slave is merely the word that I feel is closest to what explains it.

How about being helpful?

 

[senseiman]

Sounds apocryphal (christ, how do you spell that word?) to me.

Bucko makes good points.

I think MacArthur's main contribution to Japan was to give it its modern constitution. It is amazing that 60 years after its promulgation it has not been amended, which is highly unusual compared to most countries (on average over the past century national constitutions have only lasted 16 years!). Plus Japan has enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity in that time.

 

[EdZiomek]

You haven't lived long enough?

Senseiman...At age 30, I am sure you have heard the expression..."Hollywood could not write this script, it is too unbelievable." Or maybe you haven't, I can't speak for your life experience.

I feel like dropping this subject in favor of the Tokyo orphan stories, which I think are devastating, and too raw, and too horrible, there must be major truth in these stories.

My wife shared some of that horror when her father abandoned the family in a South American country, just walked out. Well, the mother and relatives poured their love into the two children of the marriage, yet she was eaten alive over the later years..."Why would my father do this to me?" And as a young adult, she found two orphan kids always hungry, always poorly clothed, living on the streets, for which she would bring spare clothes and food to on a daily basis. Then one day, or one week of not seeing the children, she asked a local policeman... "Where are those street kids?", and he said something like..."Don't worry about them, they are taken care of, they are ok and not coming back." Well, truth be told, these children more than likely were sold as adoption kids, or just simply killed to get out of the way, or even worse, killed for body parts!!??? - so goes the monstrous rumors. And 20 years later, I heard her sad story.

Likewise as before..."Hollywood could not write this script, it is too unbelievable, and people will say...you made it up"...and I accept your opinion.

Nobody has ever used that expression with you..."Truth is stranger than fiction!"?

 

[senseiman]

Well, the thing is it does sound like something Hollywood would write.

MacArthur was a busy man during the occupation, I doubt he would have personally gotten involved in something like that, let alone have a uniformed American soldier publicly murder someone for everyone to see.

 

[EdZiomek]

MacArthur, a busy man...

Senseiman...Your opinions are appreciated, but can you cite a book or articles that relate to MacArthur's "busy-ness", that you base your comments on?

I was under the impression that his number one priority was instilling trust and cooperation among the returning, reorganizing, fractured Japanese people, with the American forces, who were outnumbered... ??? 100 to 1 or so?

But educate me please, with your opinions. I am learning much here.

For your information, later history seems to regard MacArthur as a dramatic, prima-donna, Emperor Caeser, control freak. But what have you heard?

 

[The7thSamurai]

MacArthur's number one priority was to demilitarise Japan and turn it into a passive, peaceful country with democratic roots. Instilling trust and cooperation was in direct relation to this main goal.

 

[senseiman]

There are dozens of books and articles about MacArthur, a trip to your local library would undoubtedly turn something up.

I'm not an expert on his life story, my only interest in him stems from his role in creating Japan's constitution. Its just my intuition that tells me there is something not quite right about that story. It just doesn't sound plausible to me.

 

[caster51]

Shirasu Jiro(白州次郎）
I think most Japanese should know his meritorious deed at that time

Jiro Shirasu (JP) was the man who negotiated for the GHQ, General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, after Japan's defeat in WW2. He also worked in making Japan's post war constitution . Shirasu was called the "difficult Japanese" by GHQ in those days, but was a person of high principles, even though during the war, he criticized policy without caring for his own safety. He was wanted to enter politics, but he did not want to be a person in authority. Actually, Shirasu is a legend because of his tough personality, his dignified style and modern thinking.....

Yoshida Shigeru and Shirasu Jiro

These two in critical times played hard core diplomacy political tactics against GHQ to gain access for true independence.
Yoshida Shigeru was the first Prime minister who placed the Yoshida doctrine into motion resulting to the present Japanese economy.
There is an interesting story between Yoshida and MacArther,
When the two met for the first time MacArther offered Yoshida a cigar. Yoshida declined and pulled out his own saying yours are Manilan I have real Havana.
There is a book about him written by John W. Dower named "Empire and Aftermath: Yoshida Shigeru and the Japanese Experience, 1878-1954" for anybody interested.

Shirasu Jiro was the right arm man of Yoshida, with a height of 185cm and educated at Cainbridge UK he was said to be the toughest negotiator, his famous words towards GHQ to unreasonable requests were "Japan may have lost the war but I don't remember becoming slaves"
There is also an episode about him when he first met with General Whitney, the general was not anticipating any fluent English but when talking with Shirasu he ws suprised with his Queen English accent, making a remark that his English was fairly good, Shirasu not wanting to be intimidated at the negotiations table answered back to General Whitney "Keep trying and yours will get better"
He later became the first head of MIT.

These two knew exactly what was at stake and played their hands with style.

He had worn jeans when taking an airplane for the Japan-US Security Treaty conclusion. And it changed into the suit by the inside of a plane and got down to San Francisco. And it was said that Prime Minister Yoshida was greeted in Japanese